SAKHIR, Bahrain – A downbeat Lando Norris said he felt “clueless” to explain his struggles in McLaren’s car after qualifying sixth for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The British driver qualified down the order despite McLaren appearing to be in a league of its own through practice, although teammate Oscar Piastri’s pole position was much tighter than expected too.
Norris, the preseason favourite for the title and current championship leader, had no answers for what happened.
“Just not quick enough,” Norris said, when asked for his assessment.
Norris had said on Friday that he did not feel completely comfortable with his McLaren, a complaint he has echoed several times this season.
He explained that he cannot find a consistent rhythm.
“I mean, it was just every lap, honestly. I’ve been off every lap this weekend, just not comfortable. No big complaints. The car’s amazing. The car’s as good as it has been the whole season, which is strong. I’ve been off it all weekend. Don’t know why, just clueless on track at the minute. So, I don’t know. I just need a big reset or something.
“I just don’t know how to approach it. I can’t figure it out. Every time I try something, it’s good for one session, and then it’s the wrong thing for the next session, because the winds change.”
Although Norris has repeatedly rejected suggestions this year that McLaren had the best car, on Saturday night he accepted that to be the case – emphasising again that he laid the blame squarely at his own feet.
“I just can’t flow with the car, and when I can’t flow, I’m not very quick. I’ve just got to work on myself. I can’t fault the team…the car is the best by a long way. But clearly, I’m just not clicking at the minute.”
With Piastri well placed for maximum points on Sunday the race appears to be a key early moment in McLaren’s internal championship fight most expect 2025 to be.
Asked if he was concerned to see Piastri’s strong performance for pole, Norris said: “I’m not concerned. I’m just concerned about me.
“I’ve always known Oscar’s good, and he’s quick, and he’s doing the job I know he can achieve with the car that we’ve got. So, yeah, well done to him. But I’m more worried about my own performance than others. So, yeah, I don’t care about the rest of it.”
McLaren boss Zak Brown backed Norris to make amends in the grand prix.
“Tomorrow is a new day, he’s got a great race car, he’s a great racing driver, he is leading the championship so a fresh start with a good night’s sleep,” Brown told Sky Sports F1.
“He just missed the first sector a little bit and that’s just how competitive Formula 1 is.”
