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Sport is full of misconceptions and overcomplications, to which Lando is no stranger. The British star has experienced and seen many in his six seasons in Formula 1, but the one he hears most often, is his attitude towards pressure.  

Lando’s willingness to speak his mind is unique in modern sport. He’s talked at length about the stresses that come from being a modern-day athlete in a high-profile sport, from the weight of expectation to the media spotlight, and he's shown an enthusiasm to discuss men’s mental health more openly. 

It’s among the reasons why he’s become a fan-favourite. He’s happy to share his opinions and is true to himself, but his comments can be overcomplicated and overanalysed, when the realities are much more straightforward.  

“Everyone talks about pressure and nerves as a negative, but in my mind, it’s the opposite,” he says. “I get nervous, but not in a bad way. Nerves make me more focused.  

“They make me think of the correct things, and therefore, they make me go out and do a better job. Since I've been young, I've always performed better in those scenarios than when there is almost nothing to fight for.” 

In his six seasons at McLaren, Lando has performed well in all manner of situations - in the wet and the dry, when racing at the front and the back, as an underdog and when he’s been expected to win – proving himself as one of F1’s strongest all-rounders.  

He’s still only 25 years old, but he’s got 128 Grands Prix under his belt – the fourth most in McLaren’s history, three off Mika Häkkinen’s McLaren tally and eight off Jenson Button’s – but for the first time in his F1 career, he’s heading into a season as one of the favourites for the title.  

Ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Lando is back at the McLaren factory for a marketing day, where he’s filmed videos for Pancake Day and the release of F1: Drive to Survive. He was also let loose with one of our content creator’s cameras and tasked with capturing some aesthetic shots of the MTC for our social accounts.  

It marks a rare break from his pre-season preparations, and an opportunity to talk to him about the season ahead. 

Returning refreshed  

Lando is reaping the rewards of a well-earned rest. He spent his winter break with family and friends, which included skiing trips in the French Alps and northern Finland and a warm-weather holiday in Dubai.

After six years of F1, he recognises what his mind and body need to thrive, and he’s of the school of thought that, to get the best of yourself, you need balance. But from now until August, racing will take over his life, so the personal elements of that balance must come during short, intense bursts, such as the winter and summer breaks.  

“You’re working a lot, you’re constantly thinking about how you can do better, how you can improve, so it’s about giving your brain a break,” he says. “De-stimulating from the world of racing is important because during a season, you’re so stimulated, it slowly takes a toll on you.

“I love racing, but I’m also normal, I enjoy going back home, seeing my friends and my family, and spending time not racing. Things ended perfectly for the team last season, so I went into winter in a perfect mood and enjoyed the off-season, but before you know it, it’s time to get back into the mood, back to training.” 

 

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A shift in mentality  

When Lando walked back into the McLaren Technology Centre for pre-season, it marked his first visit since the team had won the Constructors’ Championship. As he caught up with his teammates and slipped back into the ‘every day’ – if there is such a thing in F1 – it seemed like very little had changed.  

The people are the same, the factory hasn’t changed – bar the shiny new addition to the trophy cabinet – but Lando did sense some differences and a new dimension to the team dynamic.  

“It's motivated everyone even more from a team perspective,” he says. “The team got their first chance in 26 years to experience what it's like to win a Championship and I think it's made them hungrier now that they know what it’s like.  
 
“I think it’s good to acknowledge as a whole team that there will be more expectation now, more eyes, more pressure – more competitors trying to bring you down, but everyone has kept their heads down. They’ve all been working very hard.” 

And what about Lando? Has last year changed him at all? Speaking shortly after lunch over a coffee at the MTC, he doesn’t seem any different from the person he was 12 months ago. Those who work with him closely would confirm as much.   

“I’m excited about the season, but very calm,” he says. “I feel relaxed. From a personal side, I don’t feel any more pressure. I’m always nervous and will always be, but that turns into excitement.” 

But is there more self-assurance about him? A subtle increase in confidence? Quite possibly.  

Lando has never shied away from discussing his self-belief, but he does feel like it can be misunderstood. The reality is quite simple: He must prove to himself that he can do something, before he believes it.    

And last season, he demonstrated that he could battle against and beat the best. He showed the world he could thrive under the weight of expectation and in high-pressure situations.  

When Oscar was taken out at the start of the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it was down to Lando to hold onto the lead and secure the Constructors’ Championship. He had the Ferraris breathing down his neck, but displayed complete control and composure to lead from start to finish.  

Over team radio after the race, he signed off with: “Next year's going to be my year too”. He’s been unequivocal in his messaging since. He intends to fight for both the Drivers and Constructors’ Championships this year.  

“One [thing I’ve learnt] is that I can do it, and I've got what it takes,” he says.  

“This is the most confident I’ve been in the team and probably the most confident I have been in myself. It’s honestly not a big change, it’s quite small, but I feel more prepared and a more complete driver than I’ve ever been. Achieving what we did last year makes you believe you can do it again. That belief is what gives you the most confidence.”

Starting the season among the favourites  

In 2024, Red Bull started as clear favourites, while McLaren grew into the season and became one of several dominant teams, ending the year as the fastest on average. By the time of our first major upgrade in Miami, Red Bull had already built up a healthy buffer over the rest of the grid, leaving the chasing pack with little margin for error.  

“Last year, we came from a long way behind, so it was incredible what we achieved,” he says. The Championship picture heading into 2025 is much less clear, with several teams expected to fight for honours. McLaren are tipped to be amongst them and that’s certainly the ambition, but Lando believes we’ll need to start more strongly if we’re to achieve our aims, given how competitive those around us are likely to be.  

“We’re hoping to start this season off in a better way, but I don’t think anything changes too much,” he says. “We’re still here because we want to win, we still know we want to aim for a Championship, and I think we’re confident we can start in a better way than we did last season.  

“But every season changes. We’re doing our best but anticipate good competition from our competitors. We’re not expecting it to get any easier – we’re expecting it to get more difficult to stay where we are. We’re the targets now, but that’s what we want to be – the guys and girls seem to enjoy that feeling. We have to look at ourselves and work on ourselves. That's it. Keep it simple, and don’t overcomplicate it.  

“A lot of people like to overcomplicate things. That’s life. If we keep our heads down, there's nothing to worry about.” 

Learning from your rivals

One of the biggest learnings from 2024 was the chance to fight with and study those who were more used to fighting at the front. Given the unexpected nature of our title challenge last year, Lando and the team were learning on the job, but this enabled them to gain vital experience that will improve our race execution and decision making.

Throughout his career, Lando has shown himself capable of extracting every drop of performance from his machinery, even on its worst days. Up until the 2023 campaign, it’s what his success had largely been built on. While displays such as the one in Abu Dhabi or his performance in the Dutch Grand Prix, when he dominated over Max Verstappen in front of the Red Bull driver’s home crowd, show that Lando can be faultless on his day.

The marrying up of these two areas led to Lando becoming one of F1’s most consistent drivers from Miami onwards. Between Rounds 5 and 20, he took 11 podiums – the aim for 2025 isn’t so much to become more consistent (though every driver wants to), it’s to turn the P3s into P2s and the P2s into wins.

“You’re racing against better drivers and better teams, who have been in that position for longer, so you’ve got to be smarter and more on top of your game,” Lando says. “The smaller gains add up more. But every team in Formula 1 is extremely good. There are a lot of smart people, there’s just a bit more pressure to fight for first than there is for last.” 

Winning with McLaren

Lando and the team have come a long way in the eight years since he first joined our Driver Development programme, and a lot has changed, but the end goal hasn’t: to win Championships with McLaren.

“Every year, you want to achieve the maximum possible, you want to add to McLaren’s history, and that should and will always mean a lot to whoever is part of it,” he says. “The feeling changes every year, depending on how hard it is and what you go through.

“It’s always going to mean a lot. Sometimes, the harder moments are the ones that give it more meaning. But my goal, every season, is to go out and win for McLaren.”