Lando Norris has admitted his connection with McLaren’s 2025 Formula 1 car couldn’t be “more opposite” to the feeling he had with the team’s title-winning predecessor.
Norris experienced an eventful run in the Bahrain Grand Prix as he recovered from down in sixth place on the grid to claim a podium to preserve his championship lead.
The Briton’s race appeared to have begun on a positive note as he made a lightning start to rise three spots to reignite the hope that he could rival team-mate Oscar Piastri.
However, it soon transpired that Norris had lined up outside his allocated grid box, an episode that he labelled a miscalculation as he endeavoured to leave no stone unturned.
“At the beginning I was too far back,” Norris told media including Motorsport Week.
“So, I tried to creep forward and crept forward and did the opposite. So, no, first time I’ve ever done this in my life. It shouldn’t happen. But it did, and I paid the price for it.”
The misdemeanour earned Norris a five-second penalty, a punishment that would compromise his race as he had to pit earlier to ensure that he maintained track position.
That would prove detrimental as Charles Leclerc utilised his newer rubber to breeze past the McLaren on the approach to Turn 4 on Lap 25 to relegate Norris to fourth place.
“I mean, I was happy. A good opening lap. Aggressive and attacking, which I needed to be. But then I had the penalty and everything got a lot worse, you know.
“So, I had the penalty. I boxed earlier than everyone else. I had to push more to try and make up five seconds. Just about made it up. But then I’m on older tyres, much hotter tyres. And I kind of paid the price for that again. So, just every time I did one thing good, I did two bad in a way. And, yeah, I just kept stopping myself from making as much progress as I should have done today.
“So, I mean, I’m happy that the pace was there. Difficult to overtake. Clearly, the dirty air is just horrible. I’m happy with my pace today than I was yesterday. But still, just not in the best feeling with the car at the minute.”
Norris divided over Bahrain recovery
Norris would relinquish another spot when a failed attempt to overtake Leclerc going into Turn 1 upon a Safety Car restart on Lap 36 opened the door to Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari.
But although he managed to re-pass both Hamilton and Leclerc and latched onto George Russell in the closing laps, Norris was unable to get past the Mercedes driver.
Norris expressed that he was divided over how to view his result as he suspects that beating Russell to secure a McLaren 1-2 was attainable without his various mishaps.
“I qualified sixth yesterday, which is pretty terrible. So, how can I possibly be happy? That just doesn’t make sense,” he said.
“Of course, I’m a little bit happier today that I managed to get back to P3. I had a good start, all those things. But I think P2 was the best we could have achieved today. It’s what we should have achieved. But we didn’t, and I didn’t, because of some mistakes, you know. So, mixed feelings.
“I think the pace was good. The car is obviously mega, as Oscar showed. But, yeah, just too many mistakes.”
Norris’ battle with the MCL39
Norris cut a despondent figure post-qualifying as he professed that he was “clueless” to explain the struggles that he is encountering with McLaren’s 2025 machine.
The five-time F1 race winner divulged that he is no closer to making a breakthrough with the MCL39, but he dismissed that is posing internal doubt about his capabilities.
Asked whether he knew what he could do in the short term to gel with the car better, Norris responded: “I wish I knew the answer. I don’t have an answer, honestly, even for myself. Whether or not I would share it with you guys, I don’t know.
“But you just know when you’re an athlete, when you’re a driver, whatever it is. You just know when things click, when you feel confident, when you feel comfortable.
“I’m confident that I have everything I need and I’ve got what it takes. I have no doubt about that, that I’m good enough and all of those things. But something is just not clicking with me in the car. I’m not able to do any of the laps that I was doing last season.
“I knew every single corner, everything that was going to happen with the car, how it was going to happen. I felt on top of the car.
“This year, I could not have felt more opposite so far. Even in Australia, whether or not I won the race, I never felt comfortable, never felt confident.
“The car was just mega and that’s helping me get out of a lot of problems at the minute. I’m just nowhere near the capability that I have, which hurts to say.
“I’ve spent a lot of time, even last night, I left late last night to look into everything and understand what I’m struggling with, what’s not clicking. Trying to figure out what’s changed from last year to this year. Is it me? Is it some of the car?
“It’s complicated, but I’m not doubting myself. Even though sometimes it may seem like that. It’s just something’s not gelling, something’s not clicking. Therefore, I don’t feel comfortable when I’m in the car.
“I’m confident. I got what it takes, but just not confident. When you’re not confident in the car to know what the limit is, what to do in a slow speed, high speed, any corner, I’m never going to be as quick as I need to be. Especially when you’ve got guys who are fighting the best in the world. As soon as you’re not gelling, then you’re going to be in issues and that’s what I have at the minute.”
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