Surer: McLaren must make Norris their number one driver

McLaren showed competitive form in 2024, but Max Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive title, with Norris often losing ground on the opening lap and Oscar Piastri taking points off his teammate.

However, Surer believes Norris has addressed his weaknesses and is now prepared to mount a title challenge, provided McLaren deliver a strong car.

Surer said: “I think Lando Norris is ready to win the championship this year if the car is good enough. He had some weaknesses last year, like his poor starts – even when on pole position he had a poor start. And also on the first lap, he lost many places on the first lap.

"But he solved these problems; by the end of the year, he was able to hold position at the start, so I think he fixed these weaknesses," added the 73-year-old from Switzerland.

The former F1 driver also highlighted Piastri’s ability to capitalise on opportunities but warned McLaren against repeating last year’s errors in allowing both drivers to take points off each other.

Norris has a big hurdle according to Surer: “His biggest problem is now his team-mate. Piastri is a lucky driver. He is maybe not as fast as Norris, but Piastri is a 'lucky' driver – he sometimes has chances and he is able to take advantage of these chances when they come up.

“So if McLaren want to win the championship, they have to put Lando Norris as their number one driver. Otherwise, Piastri will take points away from him. But I’m not worried about Lando. He is ready, he corrected his mistakes from last year. He is able to win the championship in 2025," predicted Surer, who competed in 81 F1 races in a career competing in the top flight spanning from 1979 to 1986.

McLaren have yet to publicly indicate whether they will impose a team hierarchy, but with Red Bull and Ferrari expected to remain strong contenders, internal team strategy could prove decisive in a closely fought title race.