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Ralf Schumacher is “pleased” that Lando Norris won the 2025 F1 drivers’ title, but the McLaren ace will never match the success that Red Bull rival Max Verstappen has had.
Just two points separated Norris and Verstappen atop the F1 drivers’ championship after 24 Grands Prix and six Sprint events across the 2025 season. Norris won his first F1 drivers’ title with 423 points to his name, while Verstappen fell short of a fifth consecutive crown on 421.
Verstappen almost joined Michael Schumacher as the only driver to ever win the title in five consecutive seasons after Red Bull continued to produce upgrades far into the 2025 season. McLaren ceased the development of their 2025 car in July to prioritise F1’s 2026 regulations.
Verstappen took advantage of Red Bull continuing to produce upgrades for the RB21 to fight back from 104- and 70-point deficits to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Norris after 15 rounds. It was ultimately not enough, though, as Norris sealed the title in the Abu Dhabi season-finale.
What was your favourite moment from Lando Norris’ 2025 F1 title-winning season?
Lando Norris will never match Max Verstappen’s career due to the ‘energy’ needed to win the title
Ralf Schumacher believes Norris winning the 2025 drivers’ title was a positive result for F1, as the Briton showed that someone who is open about their weaknesses and their struggles can succeed. Norris’ mental strength was widely questioned whenever he slated any errors.
READ MORE: How much every 2025 F1 driver’s crashes cost, with Lando Norris third-worst
But the ex-Toyota driver also thinks the energy it took Norris to deal with his self-criticism is even the simple reason why the 26-year-old will not achieve the same levels of success that Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen have in their respective F1 careers.
“I’m particularly pleased that someone who owns up to his weaknesses has become world champion,” Schumacher told F1-Insider. “That took a lot out of him.
“We’ve often discussed this in the media, especially his qualifying mistakes. But he shows that you don’t have to be perfect to become a world champion.
“Will he ever be able to match the success of Max, Michael or Lewis? I don’t think so. It takes too much energy. There are drivers for whom that doesn’t come naturally, like Nico Rosberg – he quit immediately after [beating Hamilton to win the 2016 F1 drivers’ title].”
Lando Norris has now scored the 31st-most Grand Prix wins in F1 history
Where do you think Lando Norris will rank among McLaren’s greatest drivers when he retires?
Michael Schumacher and Hamilton boast a joint-record seven F1 drivers’ titles to date, while Verstappen ranks joint-fourth in the record book with four titles. Juan Manuel Fangio is third with five titles, ahead of Verstappen who ranks on par with Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel.
Norris is now one of the 18 drivers in history to have won the drivers’ championship once in their F1 careers, at least for now. Rosberg was previously the most recent driver to win one title and never add to their tally, having retired after he won the title by five points in 2016.
Norris’ seven wins through the 24 rounds in the 2025 season also lifted the Bristol-born star to 31st in the record books. He remains some way shy of Hamilton’s record 105 Grand Prix wins, Schumacher’s 91 and Verstappen’s 71 as the three most successful F1 drivers to date.
McLaren also saw Norris score seven pole positions in 2025 to move into 24th in the record books, plus 18 podiums to move up to 21st. Hamilton leads Schumacher with a record 104 and 68 pole positions, as well as for podiums with 202 and 155 ahead of Verstappen’s 127.
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