Lando Norris joined the elite Formula 1 drivers in history by winning the 2025 championship with McLaren.
After winning the season opener in Australia, it looked as though his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, had the upper hand, reported F1 Oversteer.
While Piastri began to struggle with his driving style not suiting the MCL39 on low-grip circuits, Norris took advantage.
With a brand-new approach, he had the better of his teammate and kept a charging Max Verstappen at bay to win the title by two points.
However, Michael Bleekemolen believes that Norris is not on the level of Verstappen. He noted several incidents in 2025 that cost him extra points.
Norris collided with Piastri in Canada while racing for third. The pair would crash again during the Sprint race in Austin, although neither driver could be blamed for the freak incident.
Bleekemolen does not think Norris is on the level of the four-time champion, or, for that matter, seven-time champions Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.
Asked by RacingNews365 if Norris deserved to be the 2025 champion, he replied, “Not if I compare him to Max Verstappen. In Canada, was it Canada? There, he just drove at the back (of Piastri). I definitely think that driving at the back of Piastri, if I compare him to Max, was a dramatic thing.”
“And the crash at the Circuit of the Americas, those are things that just happen. You can go into all that in great detail, but it is what it is. Then I’d say: he’s not on the level of Hamilton and Schumacher,” he added.
Norris took the lead of the championship after his victory in Jeddah and did not relinquish it for 15 races.
