Cracks Show as Norris Struggles With McLaren’s 2025 Car
Formula 1 rarely forgives drivers caught out by shifting car dynamics, and Lando Norris is feeling that pressure more than ever in 2025. After a rough weekend in Bahrain, he found himself wrestling not just with his rivals, but with his own McLaren. Things haven’t softened up racing in Saudi Arabia or since, as Norris continues to search for the sweet spot behind the wheel.
In Bahrain, Norris made it to sixth on the starting grid—not bad on paper, but far from the top-tier performance McLaren had in mind. He pointed fingers at the car’s tricky handling, admitting to feeling “clueless” out on track. For a driver known for squeezing every bit from late-braking corners, McLaren’s new approach left him unsettled. The 2025 car simply won’t let him push the way last year’s did.
Errors and Tire Woes Compound Frustration
Norris’s rough time in Bahrain didn’t stop at qualifying. The race itself piled on headaches. A misjudged start landed him a five-second penalty for lining up out of position, quickly made worse by an early pit stop that saw him tumble down to 15th place. He clawed his way back up the grid and briefly ran as high as third, but the McLaren’s appetite for chewing through tires saw him slip behind teammate Oscar Piastri by the finish, as Norris struggled to keep his pace alive while the grip faded away.
Fast forward one week to Saudi Arabia, and the headaches kept coming. Norris crashed out in the final part of qualifying, pushing too hard in a car he still didn’t fully trust. With the limits coming quicker than expected—especially in slow corners—Norris found himself starting from 10th, a stark contrast to his more confident, aggressive performances last season.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella backed up what fans and analysts were seeing: Norris’s on-track mistakes tend to come only when he’s wringing the neck of the car, desperate to match his inner expectations for one-lap pace. But this new McLaren doesn’t behave the way his instincts expect. Late-braking moves that once brought chunks of time now deliver snap oversteer, botched runs, and, at times, a trip into the barriers.
Recent qualifying sessions further underline the struggle. Norris’s signature aggression at corner entry—especially under braking—was often his advantage. Now, it’s a liability. The mistakes at Bahrain, China, and Japan all have the same theme: he can’t predict or control the car’s feedback when he pushes to the edge.
Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri seems to sidestep these issues, posting steadier runs and quietly collecting points. For Norris, who’s established himself as McLaren’s main man, watching his teammate adapt while he’s left searching for answers only adds to the sting.
The rest of the grid isn’t standing still. As McLaren works to fine-tune the 2025 package, Norris can only hope development shifts the balance back into his territory. Until then, he faces an uncomfortable learning curve—and the risk of being outpaced in the car he once made shine.