Norris admits ‘things aren’t flowing’

Whilst Oscar Piastri is flying in the MCL38, more experienced McLaren teammate Lando Norris admits he is “not as on it” as before.

With McLaren having the fastest car on the grid in 2025, the fight for the F1 drivers title was predicted to be fought between the teammates.

Many pundits believed Norris would be the firm favourite having finished 2024 strong with three wins in the final 10 races, the most if that period.

Hear Auto Action’s exclusive chat with Piastri in next week’s issue of Auto Action Premium

However, it is the much younger Australian who has completely overshadowed him with Piastri taking three wins in the last four races.

As a result, the Aussie has turned a 23-point deficit to a 10-point lead since the Albert Park opener.

Piastri leads both of the racing and qualifying head to heads 3-2 so far.

Despite not being his most dominant, Saudi Arabia might have been the most notable of 2025 so far given it has arrived on a weekend where things were not completely clicking for Piastri.

Teammate Lando Norris appeared to have Piastri’s measure for most of the weekend, finishing ahead of the Australian in the first five sessions from FP1 to Q2.

However, with the pressure on in Q3 it was the Brit who cracked once again and crashed, whilst Piastri put his #81 on the front row and drove to victory with the stunning move on Lewis Hamilton standing out.

Norris spoke with The Race to provide a deeper insight as to why he feels he is not extracting the same results as the younger Piastri.

“It is not like I am half a second off or even tenths off, we are talking about extracting the last hundredths of thousandths from a lap. That can be the difference me coming across angry or frustrated or happy,” he told The Race.

“We are talking smaller things and when you are behind the wheel everything is exaggerated and as soon as you have missed slightly on a corner you feel like have messed up the lap and it is the difference between first and fifth.

“This year a number of things have changed. The McLaren is the only car I have ever driven, but it has still changed a lot over the years going from one of the worst cars on the grid to the best.

“One of my strengths is the adaptability to drive whatever car I have got, but then there are the compromises you make as a team and how they can give me a car that I can get the most out of.

“That has been a bit of a struggle this season. We have made the car better but it is just tricker for me to get those last hundredths out of.

“It has been tiny things and it is very hard to put it in layman’s terms. The overwhelming feeling I have had with this car are just aren’t flowing as naturally .

“When you have to drive a little bit less natural and maybe think in a slightly different way, that can cost you two hundredths which can be the difference

It is complicated and there is a lot going on behind the scenes that people don’t see

It is my job to resurrect them as soon as possible.

“The harder it gets the more precision you need and on top of the car you have got to feel

That’s what I felt like I was very good at the end of last season but I am not able to be as on it as then and I have paid the price.”

Image: McLaren

Buy the new issue of Auto Action Premium HERE

Read the new issue of Auto Action Digital HERE

Don’t forget the print edition of Auto Action available via subscription here or you can purchase a copy of the latest issue from one of our outlets here. For more of the latest motorsport news, subscribe to AUTO ACTION magazine