The current set of regulations had been largely dominated by Red Bull, but as the rules evolved, the competition became much tighter in 2023. McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes all claimed race wins, with McLaren breaking Red Bull’s streak by winning its first constructors’ title since 1998.
After a season where Red Bull won all but one race, the sight of four teams battling at the front was a welcome change for F1 fans. The hope is that 2025, the final year under the current regulations, could be even more competitive, especially as teams start to shift their focus toward the 2026 rule changes.
Norris, who finished as last year’s runner-up, anticipates that the 2025 season could be even closer. He believes teams outside the current top four, such as Alpine and Aston Martin, might be in a position to capitalize on opportunities and claim an unexpected win.
“It’s everyone’s expectation within F1 that 2025 will be even closer,” Norris said. “Whenever regulations remain stable, the field tends to get closer, and that’s how it’s always been.”
He continued, “By the end of last year, we already saw the midfield teams catching up, and things were getting more competitive.”
Lando Norris expects the 2025 season to see some surprise winners outside of the traditional top four teams — McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull — which he believes would be great for Formula 1 and its fans.
“I think we’re going to see some winners who aren’t the usual teams like McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, or Red Bull,” Norris said. “It’s going to be a bit different this year. Maybe not at the very beginning, but throughout the season, we’ll probably see things shake up a bit more.”
None of the teams outside the top six have won a Grand Prix in the current era, with Esteban Ocon being the last to do so, claiming victory at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with Alpine.
However, Ocon and his former Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly demonstrated in Brazil, with a double podium finish, that the midfield teams were starting to get into a position to capitalize on unpredictable events, such as the chaotic wet-weather race in Interlagos.
Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, also believes F1 could be in for another thrilling season, where the form of teams fluctuates from one track to another. Teams like Mercedes could struggle one weekend and then dominate in another, like they did in Las Vegas.
“When you look at the end of last season, with so many different winners from different teams, it all points towards a very tight season,” Piastri said. “Going from track to track, you won’t know who the main competitors are. Pretty much all of last year, we thought we could be in the mix for a win, but we didn’t know who the main competitor was going to be. It changed every week, so I expect more of the same.”