Horner makes Norris ‘pressure’ declaration ahead of Verstappen title defence

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes it is good that Max Verstappen is not the favourite this year to defend his F1 drivers' title. 

Ahead of the upcoming season, it is McLaren's Lando Norris who is the bookies favourite having ended 2024 very strongly with an emphatic victory in Abu Dhabi. 

On top of that, McLaren claimed its first constructors' title since 1998 last year with the British outfit having been the most competitive team for the majority of the campaign. 

As a result, it is not just Norris but also the Woking-based team who are favourites heading into the season, unlike Red Bull who are very much an unknown. 

Red Bull struggled during the second half of last season and despite Verstappen claiming a fourth consecutive drivers' title, the Milton Keynes-based team tumbled to third in the standings. 

Since the current regulations were introduced it has largely always been Red Bull as the favourites; however, Horner has pointed out that pressure comes with that label. 

The team boss is unsure just yet who the team to beat will be, but suspects that the answer will be discovered after the opening flyaway races.

"You know, it's sometimes good not to be the favourite," Horner told select media including RacingNews365. It puts the pressure on others. 

"So I'd be very happy to see Lando going to the first race as the favourite. But it all is meaningless until we get to that first race, and even then, Melbourne is a pretty unique circuit. 

"I think you need to see that first batch of flyways to get a real, true read of form and degradation. 

"We've got new surfaces in China, so there's a lot of moving parts, and it's such a long season. Let's see how it plays out."