McLaren has been the class of the field so far in 2025 but there has only been one stand-out driver in Oscar Piastri.
Although he is leading the world championship, Lando Norris has been downbeat having not been in contention for a race victory since the opening round in Melbourne.
Norris made a mistake in qualifying for the Chinese GP that put him further back on the grid in the race, then in Japan he could not match Max Verstappen, and in Bahrain he was off the pace compared to Piastri.
The Briton has been open about his struggles, however, Martin Brundle believes Norris should not ‘feed’ his rivals by making those comments in the media.
Discussing Norris’ struggles on the Autosport podcast, journalist Filip Cleeren has outlined what team principal Andrea Stella told him when speaking to media.
McLaren has made a car that is harder to drive for Lando Norris
It is already known that Norris has a ‘damaging’ driving trait that makes him struggle more than Piastri, particularly when it comes to tyre wear.
Had it not been for his spin in Melbourne, Piastri had saved his tyres better than Norris and looked like a threat to his lead. According to Stella, the team has went in a direction that impacts the Briton more than Piastri.
“If you’re not comfortable in it, and margins are so close, and you do have an Oscar Piastri that he’s firing on all cylinders, it’s not good enough to be 95 per cent,” said Cleeren.
“That’s what’s going on, rather than the mental side or anything you can drag into it. Andrea Stella did say that they made changes to the car that have made it more difficult for Lando.”
Lando Norris falling into the same mistakes that cost him 2024 title
Norris was in contention for the 2024 title with Verstappen but it was a series of errors that ultimately let him down throughout the year.
Although Verstappen had a much bigger gap he built up at the start of the season in points, Norris’ consistency put him in contention at the end of the year.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Lando Norris |
77 |
| 2 |
Oscar Piastri |
74 |
| 3 |
Max Verstappen |
69 |
| 4 |
George Russell |
63 |
| 5 |
Charles Leclerc |
32 |
Despite team orders between the McLaren drivers, it was the wheel-to-wheel moments with Verstappen that cost Norris points.
His mistakes in qualifying sessions this year, which have greater emphasis due to the return of F1’s dirty air issue, are costing him in his bid to retain the lead in the Drivers’ Championship.
