McLaren to solve Lando Norris complaint with key development ‘in the pipeline’ for 2025 F1 car

McLaren has been the team to beat in Formula 1 in 2025, but their car has not been universally suited to both their drivers.

Oscar Piastri has taken two victories so far in China and Bahrain, while Lando Norris has only managed a win at the season opener in Australia.

Norris was dejected when speaking to media after the race in Bahrain, admitting that he has not felt comfortable in McLaren’s new car since the season began.

He was four-tenths of a second off Piastri in qualifying for the Bahrain GP and even though he made a couple of mistakes, including lining up incorrectly in his grid slot, Norris went on to finish third in the race behind George Russell who was dealing with electronics issues.

McLaren has admitted their 2025 car is harder to drive than what Norris had in 2024, but they are hopeful their next upgrade should solve his complaints according to journalist Andrew Benson writing in his BBC Sport column.

McLaren will fix key Lando Norris complaint with 2025 car development

McLaren’s car developments in 2024 were among the most efficient on the grid, with their car going from a podium finisher to a genuine contender for race wins each weekend.

The 2025 car is an evolution of that successful platform, but Norris has found it tricker to drive than Piastri. This is down to the cars narrow setup window, which can be influenced by things as little as a change in wind direction.

Piastri has not been without his fair share of errors, notably his mistake at Turn 2 in Japan which cost him pole, but he has been a lot more comfortable than Norris. According to Benson, McLaren is hopeful their latest upgrade will address a key problem Norris has identified.

“McLaren have in the pipeline a development that they hope will solve the problem Norris is having with the car’s lack of front grip in mid-corner,” wrote Benson.

How big a threat is Oscar Piastri to Lando Norris’ title chances?

The problem of the McLaren drivers taking points away from each other was always going to be one of the main limitations of their season, with Martin Brundle warning that it will be a ‘season-long’ problem for them ahead of 2025.

Norris has outclassed Piastri in previous seasons in both qualifying and the races, but the Australian has made a lot of inroads during the off-season to improve his form.

Piastri is now the only driver to win twice from pole this season, with the other two victories coming from Norris and Max Verstappen.

With Red Bull facing problems with their RB21, the biggest threat to Norris’ title lead at the moment is Piastri with him now just three points behind having started the season 23 points behind.