Nico Rosberg advises Lando Norris not to consider himself a favorite for next year's world title. The 2016 world champion advises the McLaren F1 driver not to tell himself that 2025 will be his year, because he is putting pressure on himself that he does not need.
“First, we must not make the mistake of saying to ourselves 'I am the favorite, anything other than victory will be a failure'. On the one hand, we like to see it as spectators, but for him, it's probably not the best way to go.” Rosberg told Sky F1.
“In Abu Dhabi, on the warm-up lap, he said in the car 'next year is my year' – that's something I would recommend him not to do. It's just a pressure dynamic and of unnecessary waiting that you start.”
“If you want, do it internally, whatever, but not publicly. It's one of the keys that allowed me to win my world championship, and especially for someone like Lando, who doesn't is not, I would say, the strongest, the most mentally solid.”
“I had the same profile, a lot of inner demons and doubts, and always the glass half empty, rather than the glass half full – and so, for him, I really highly recommend taking things race by race. “
Rosberg's second piece of advice is not to tell yourself that there will be other opportunities to get a title: “The second thing to do is to prepare as well as possible. Prepare like crazy! In F1, you never know when the next opportunity to be world champion will come.”
“You really never know because it depends so much on your team and we know the regulations are going to change in 2026 in the biggest way maybe they've ever changed in Formula 1, it's just crazy. “
“The team that is first in 2025 could be last the following year if they get it completely wrong. Things are going to change so much. You never know when the next opportunity to be world champions will come and that's why you have to prepare for it down to the smallest detail.”
“Whether it's physical, mental – get a mental coach, a psychologist, I've done it too. I've done it too. Keep driving through the winter, keep karting, keep your skills up active. Everything that is possible.”
Finally, the German advises Norris to look at the mistakes he may have made against Verstappen during the direct battles he led on the track: “He has to analyze every wheel-to-wheel battle that Max Verstappen has participated in over the last three years.”
“He has to analyze each one of them. The team has to prepare video clips and he has to study them. Study them, study them and study them to understand what he could do best tactically to beat Max in these situations .”
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