Norris told to fit ‘razor blades’ after Verstappen vow

Former F1 driver Martin Brundle has stated Lando Norris must fit “razor blades” to his elbows in order to fight Max Verstappen this year.

Following the launch of McLaren’s 2025 F1 car earlier this week, Norris pledged he would need to get his “elbows out” against the Dutchman this year.

Verstappen deployed aggressive tactics against Norris throughout the 2024 season en route to his fourth F1 title.

But having spent much of last year’s campaign competing at the front of the grid, Brundle believes Norris is now well-equipped to win a title.

“I think Lando knows how to lead from the front now,” Brundle told Sky F1.

“I think he probably believes he can win a world championship.

“He’ll have to get his elbows out and get some razor blades on those elbows in some wheel-to-wheel combat with Max.

“That’s clear, as everybody has to. That’s how Max goes racing. He's tough, and that's why he's won the last four world championships.”

Brundle predicts too close to call F1 season

McLaren is tipped to carry over its race-winning form from last year and is already a favourite to contend for the title during the upcoming campaign.

The cars are set to undergo minimal changes with development focus looking to 2026, when new technical regulations will come into play.

Brundle has predicted an ultra-tight, season-long battle for the title to play out.

“I have no doubt, this is going to be a super tight, incredibly competitive,” he said.

“The regulations are very mature. There's nowhere to go much with the cars. They'll all tweak them here and there.

“But with this massive change coming for 2026 quite soon, the teams will want to put their budget, their resources and their manpower into the 2026 car.

“So I think they're going to start pretty level. We've got five or six new rookies on the grid. I think the top four teams will be uber competitive - may the best driver win.”