Nico Rosberg picks McLaren’s Lando Norris to be next F1 world champion

SINGAPORE – The 2024 Formula One season has been one to remember for Lando Norris, whose win at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Dec 8 helped McLaren secure their first constructors’ championship in 26 years.

After clinching his first title at the Miami Grand Prix in May, the Briton won another three races – including the Singapore Grand Prix – alongside nine other podium finishes, igniting his challenge for the drivers’ crown in the second half of the season.

While it was Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who hoisted the trophy for the fourth consecutive year, finishing 63 points ahead of nearest rival Norris, former champion Nico Rosberg believes that Norris could end the Dutchman’s dominance next season.

Speaking to The Straits Times, Rosberg said: “McLaren just won the constructors’ championship and therefore it would be my pick that Lando Norris also wins the drivers’ championship next year because he was the strongest driver in the second half of the season.

“Verstappen has been struggling with the car a little bit, Red Bull have not managed to improve their car in the way that they usually did, the development rate’s slowing down. So that’s a concern for next year and that’s why I think Lando Norris is the favourite.”

Rosberg, who won the drivers’ championship with Mercedes in 2016, has been living in Singapore for the past month to explore business opportunities. 

The 39-year-old German runs a venture capital fund, Rosberg Ventures, which he set up after retiring from racing.

While he backs Norris, 25, to be next season’s world champion, Rosberg was also quick to add that it could be anyone’s title.

History seemed on track to repeating itself after Verstappen’s strong start to the 2024 season during which he recorded seven wins in the opening 10 rounds.

But a 10-race drought followed for the 27-year-old and the title race opened up.

No one had come close to Verstappen in 2023, when he won 19 out of 22 races, but this season featured seven different winners. 

Rosberg said: “Everybody’s so close. Ferrari is very close, Mercedes is close, it can really be anybody and that’s what makes F1 so exciting at the moment. It’s one of the most exciting times for F1 and it’s really wide open.”

It was not just the fight for the constructors’ championship that got fans on the edge of their seats, but also the spat between Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell that resulted from a clash between the two drivers in qualifying at the Nov 29-Dec 1 Qatar Grand Prix.

Commenting on the drama between the duo, Rosberg said: “It’s fun. These rivalries and these war of words and everything is just so fun to watch from the outside.

“From the inside, it’s not fun – I remember that and it’s so intense and horrible – but from the outside, it’s super entertaining.

“We want to see those drivers go head-to-head.”

Rosberg has had his share of rivalries, with his relationship with childhood friend Lewis Hamilton turning awry when the two became teammates at Mercedes between 2013 and 2016.

That period coincided with the Silver Arrows’ most dominant seasons as they not only won a record eight straight constructors’ titles from 2014 to 2021, but also saw the duo involved in multiple duels on and off the track.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed that to stop the team from imploding, they came close to imposing race suspensions on the drivers at the height of the pair’s on-track feuding.

Despite their past battles, Rosberg paid tribute to Hamilton’s contributions as the 39-year-old’s time at Mercedes ended after 12 seasons. The seven-time world champion will be joining Ferrari in 2025.

Calling Hamilton’s split with Mercedes “emotional”, he added: “It’s interesting this next step into his career at Ferrari.

“I hope he can find back his best form because this year, it was difficult for him and I hope that doesn’t continue. If not, it would be quite a painful adventure.

“But if he manages to reset and return to his great self, then it would be thrilling to watch and be a very successful time as well.”

Additional reporting by Sue-Ann Tan