Former Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has backed Lando Norris for this yr’s drivers’ title.
The McLaren driver completed second in the championship final yr behind Max Verstappen however was instrumental in his workforce profitable the constructors’ crown. Based on the instances from pre-season testing, McLaren will seemingly be the quickest automotive heading into the season-opener in Australia this weekend.
“Definitely Lando. McLaren seems to have made a really strong car,” mentioned the 1997 driver’s champion.
“If you just look at their season and how they progressed, they kept making steps forward. Lando was the only driver in the field that could step up to Max (Verstappen) and was on it every race. If he’s still in the same mindset, the season should start strong. We will have to see how it pans out halfway through the season. But the favourite right now is Lando and McLaren.”
Last yr, Norris and Verstappen got here collectively a number of instances and Villeneuve believes the British racer did the fitting factor by standing up to the reigning champion. “He didn’t budge. They ended up clashing in Austria and paid a hefty price, stronger than Max did, but ultimately, he showed Max that he wasn’t going to move and was in there to fight. So, he already did the right thing.”
One of the attention-grabbing plotlines of this season is Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes to be a part of Ferrari and the 53-year-old backed the seven-time champion to elevate his recreation.
“Lewis wants to be the driver with the most championships. And try to win with Ferrari. It is the dream of most drivers. Once you’ve won everything, you still need to win with Ferrari,” mentioned Villeneuve, whose father Giles drove for Ferrari and is extensively thought-about one of many legends of F1.
“He goes into Ferrari knowing that it’s (Charles) Leclerc’s team, and he needs to become the team leader. So I think he will be brutal in that aspect. He knows how to win and how to move a team forward. It will be interesting, because Ferrari is not an easy team. There’s a lot of pressure from the fans and the team. It’s a very energetic place, but not an easy place to evolve, and Leclerc knows it (team) well.”
“And for Ferrari, it’s a win-win situation. If they win with Lewis, bingo, Amazing. If Leclerc beats Lewis, they create a star out of Leclerc. So right now, I guess they’re just waiting to see what will happen but Lewis will not want to be beaten.”
(FanCode is the official broadcaster for F1 in India)
Published – March 13, 2025 09:00 pm IST
