The McLaren driver has claimed three wins in the 2024 F1 season, but a slip from pole position to sixth place in Brazil has left him trailing Verstappen by 62 points.
Norris faced further setbacks at Interlagos, where Verstappen surged from 17th on the grid in challenging conditions to secure his first victory since Spain in June.
Brundle believes Norris, who has missed opportunities to fully leverage McLaren’s speed due to various errors, will gain valuable lessons from these experiences this season.
“It’s about improving everything at the level he’s competing at,” Brundle told Sky Sports News.
“He’s had some impressive wins, especially in Zandvoort and Singapore, where he pulled away in a dominant fashion, similar to how Max [often does].
“However, he’s still missing the experience of fighting for a World Championship, which brings an entirely new set of challenges and expectations – something he’ll start to understand this year.
“But I believe Lando will gain a lot from this season’s experiences.”
Norris lacks the ‘𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er instinct’ needed to take on the ‘ruthless’ Verstappen.
Verstappen and Red Bull dominated early in the season, winning seven of the first 10 races and setting the stage for another straightforward championship run.
However, McLaren’s surge in performance and Red Bull’s dip in form gave Norris an unexpected shot at his first F1 title.
Yet, narrowing the gap with Verstappen has proven difficult, as Verstappen showcased his champion-level s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 with a remarkable comeback in Brazil.
Brundle believes Norris has plenty to work on over the winter if he hopes to launch a stronger title bid in 2025, especially when it comes to his aggressiveness in close racing.
“Sometimes you wonder if he lacks that 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er instinct against Max, who can be quite ruthless in battle,” Brundle commented.
The Sky F1 analyst also noted that the early-season gap to Verstappen was likely too large for Norris to overcome.
“With Max winning seven of the first 10 races, it essentially put him out of reach,” Brundle added. “For Norris to catch up, he’d have needed to chip away at Max’s points every race, while hoping his teammate, plus a Ferrari or Mercedes, would finish between them.”
“But with just one turnaround, like in Brazil, that opportunity was largely gone—unless something truly unusual happens in the final races.”
