Lando Norris was “not the best driver of 2025” according to former F1 driver Robert Doornbos, who reckons the difference on track was “the car”.
The Dutchman equated Norris’ success to that of Jenson Button’s in 2009, with the Brawn GP driver having gained a march over his rivals with the BGP 001 before the chasing pack pegged Brawn GP back in the second half of the season. But it was too little too late for his rivals as Button wrapped up the title.
Robert Doornbos: ‘The difference is in the car…’
Norris secured his debut F1 World title at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix where his third place was enough to ensure he brought Max Verstappen’s four-year reign to its conclusion.
It was a season in which McLaren were tipped to secure the 1-2 in the standings, only for Verstappen to all but erase his 104-point deficit to come within two points of the title.
The Red Bull driver finished the season on eight grand prix wins, with Norris and Oscar Piastri both scoring seven.
Doornbos doesn’t believe the best driver on the grid won the title, rather it was the best car.
“The 2025 world champion is not the best driver of 2025 and everyone thinks so,” the Dutchman told FORMULA 1 Magazine.
“The difference is in the car. Norris’ McLaren has been the dominant car all year.
“The similarity with Button is the shrinking lead and the tension that entails.
Norris clinched the title in a mixed season for the Briton, who faced questions about his mental strength and whether he had what it took to win a title.
He brushed that aside when asked by the media in Brazil about his turnaround in form after claiming his most dominant win ever in Sao Paulo.
“Just ignore everyone that talks c*** about you!” he said. “Just focus on yourself.”
Doornbos, however, still has questions.
“I know how it works,” he said. “If media write well about you, it’s fun. And if they write badly about you, you can say ‘I don’t read it’, but you still get it.
“Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri are not sensitive to that, I guess, but for Norris it is different based on the character he has. And something like that can just become your bottleneck if you want to compete for titles at this level.
“Formula 1 is a split decision sport, you make decisions in fractions of a second. If you then have one negative thought, consciously or subconsciously, it can cost you two to three hundredths.”
