Lando Norris’ Ongoing Challenge with McLaren’s 2025 Car

In the aftermath of Lando Norris’ qualifying shunt at Jeddah, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella reveals that Norris is yet to master instinctive driving in the 2025 car. The Briton’s crash in Q3, where he lost control over his and veered into the wall, cost him a potential pole position, settling for 10th on the grid while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen edged out Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri by a mere 0.010s.

The Impact of Car Design on Driver Performance

Norris’ latest qualifying mishap, which he later criticized himself, has fueled speculation that the 25-year-old is in a slump. However, contrary to this narrative, Norris was more comfortable with the MCL39 in Jeddah and was closely matched with Piastri until his Q3 crash.

Stella acknowledged improvements in Norris’ performance but explained that he still lacks that crucial 1% of harmony with how he expects the car to behave at its absolute limit, a deficiency that proved costly on fast street circuits like Jeddah where mistakes often lead to the wall.

The Challenge of Adapting to a Faster Car Generation

Stella attributed Norris’ struggle to some changes made to the car, which increased its overall speed but compromised predictability when pushed to the limit. He drew parallels with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who is also grappling with extracting the full potential from his Ferrari over one lap.

As Verstappen broke the high-speed Jeddah track record once more, Stella emphasized that the current generation of F1 cars are “too fast to think,” requiring drivers to be fully in tune with their vehicles to drive instinctively because there is no time for second guessing.

The Quest for a Car Suited to Norris’ Talent

Stella underscored the team’s responsibility to provide Norris with a car that matches his talent and to correct this behavior, ensuring he remains confident and comfortable enough to push the car to its limits.