Bernie Ecclestone questions “too cocky” Lando Norris in 2025 F1 title fight

Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone believes Max Verstappen will seal the championship in Abu Dhabi, casting doubt over Lando Norris’ ability to deliver under pressure.

Norris holds a 12-point lead over Verstappen in the 2025 F1 drivers’ standings ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

A podium finish for Norris on Sunday will be enough to hand him the title, even if Verstappen wins the race.

Norris looked set to win the title last time out in Qatar had it not been for McLaren’s double disqualification in Las Vegas.

McLaren then threw away an easy 1–2 finish in Qatar after deciding not to pit either driver under the Safety Car.

This has allowed Verstappen to remain in title contention, having been 42 points behind Norris before his DSQ in Vegas.

The Yas Marina Circuit is expected to suit the strengths of the McLaren package.

It is also one of Norris’ strongest tracks, producing scintillating qualifying laps in 2020 and 2021.

He also took a commanding win in 2024, controlling the race from pole to ensure McLaren claimed their first constructors’ title since 1998.

Norris “too cocky”, says Ecclestone

Ecclestone ran the sport for 40 years before his exit in 2017, paving the way for Liberty Media to take over.

The 95-year-old has never been shy about giving strong opinions on F1.

Giving his view on the 2025 title fight, Ecclestone said Verstappen “deserves” the championship and criticised Norris for being “over confidence” and “too cocky”.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “I still believe Max will do it. He deserves it. I used to say Alain Prost was the best driver of all time, doing it on his own without a radio to the pit wall telling him what to do, but I think Max is the best I have known. He stands alone.

“Lando is fine, a really good driver, but he is over-confident, too cocky, believing his own publicity, but he gets nervous at crunch moments and can’t quite deliver the way Max can when the pressure is on.

“I said from the start of the season that Max would do it in the end, and I still believe that is the case.

“McLaren have been very helpful to Lando over Oscar, supporting him over the other guy, such as changing them around in Monza after Lando had a bad pit stop, and that way of working may yet be good for them, I don’t know. It’s not what I would have done. A bad pit stop is part of racing. You have to accept it, not engineer it.

“But you can never bet against Max. He is something special. He is one-off, and a super-nice guy, and I hope he gets the job done. He has nothing to lose, so that is also an advantage, too.”