Lando Norris heads into qualifying for the 2025 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix looking to overturn a 0.526-second deficit to his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri from FP3.
The 25-year-old started the weekend off in the perfect way on Friday, as Norris recorded the fastest lap during FP1 for the Spanish GP with a 1:13.718 lap. Piastri would only set the fifth-best time in FP1 with a 1:14.294, but flipped that initial 0.576s deficit on its head come FP3.
Piastri built on setting the fastest time in FP2 with a 1:12.760 to top the FP3 timesheet with a 1:12.387. Norris only set a 1:12.913 in FP3, yet he still finished in second. Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell were the best-of-the-rest, but 0.743s and 0.752s shy.
Nico Rosberg fears McLaren did not realise Lando Norris’ car was bottoming out in FP3 for the Spanish GP
McLaren will hope Piastri or Norris can convert their pace in practice, as the Woking natives have not won the Spanish GP since with Kimi Raikkonen in 2005. Taking the win this Sunday would also be the first time that Norris has won back-to-back Grands Prix in the same term.
The 25-year-old arrived in Montmelo hot off the back of Norris winning the Monaco Grand Prix from pole position. Victory on the streets of the Principality also saw Norris cut Piastri’s lead in the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship down to three points after the first eight rounds.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Oscar Piastri |
161 |
| 2 |
Lando Norris |
158 |
| 3 |
Max Verstappen |
136 |
| 4 |
George Russell |
99 |
| 5 |
Charles Leclerc |
79 |
| 6 |
Lewis Hamilton |
63 |
| 7 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
48 |
But Nico Rosberg fears for Norris’ hopes of winning the Spanish GP as he believes McLaren misdiagnosed his ‘biggest problem’ during FP3. The 2016 F1 drivers’ champion clearly saw the Briton’s MCL39 was bottoming out, but McLaren only told Norris his car was bouncing.
Rosberg said on Sky Sports F1 (31/05, 12:52): “I hope they’re watching because his engineer told Lando, ‘It’s bouncing but it’s not bottoming’. But in fact you can hear and see clearly on the television that it’s bouncing and bottoming.
“And the bottoming could actually be the biggest problem because that’s what lifts the tyres off the ground and can make you very light and can create a snap. So, I do hope that they’re getting this one right, as it doesn’t seem like it from the first diagnosis they made.”
Lando Norris must hope McLaren were right after lapping 0.526s slower than Oscar Piastri
Norris will hope McLaren were right and that Rosberg’s fears are misplaced after lapping the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya 0.526s slower than Piastri during FP3 for the Spanish GP. He will rue their mistake if the Briton remains that far off his teammate’s pace during qualifying.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend
Piastri dominating the 25-year-old by such a margin in qualifying can also prove devastating for his confidence, straight after Rosberg suggested Norris’ pole in Monaco could be ‘super powerful’ for the title fight. Norris had not secured a pole since round one back in Australia.
Despite Piastri scoring his first F1 pole in China in round two of the 2025 season, which the Australian also converted into the win, the 24-year-old has since taken poles in Bahrain and Imola. So, Norris will hate it if Piastri gets another pole in Spain as his car is bottoming out.
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