Norris struggling to drive MCL39 at the limit after Jeddah F1 quali crash
McLaren boss Andrea Stella believes Lando Norris is still not able to drive instinctively in the 2025 Formula 1 season, having crashed in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The McLaren driver hit the barrier on his first Q3 flyer, losing control of his MCL39 as he drifted across the unsettling Turn 5 kerbs […]
Why Verstappen thinks McLaren will be tough to catch amid impact of a key Woking signing
Max Verstappen feels it is unrealistic for Red Bull to catch McLaren over the 2025 Formula 1 campaign as it pins hopes on small, gradual upgrades to cure handling issues. Red Bull’s balance problems were brutally exposed at last weekend’s hot and demanding Bahrain Grand Prix, with Verstappen only passing Pierre Gasly’s Alpine on the final […]
Why Norris believes McLaren can ‘throw pre-season test data in the bin’ at Bahrain GP
McLaren finished at the top of the timesheets in both FP1 and FP2 ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, but Lando Norris felt the team’s pre-season testing data could be «thrown in the bin» as he lamented the change in conditions. The Bahrain International Circuit is home to both pre-season testing and the fourth round […]
McLaren fastest again as Piastri tops Norris in FP2
Oscar Piastri led Lando Norris to top a McLaren 1-2 in Formula 1’s second practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Piastri’s qualifying simulation halfway through the one-hour night-time session was enough to usurp his team-mate by a tenth and a half as the pair comfortably cleared third-placed George Russell. Following a sweltering first practice […]
Why Verstappen fears «severe» tyre deg deficit to McLaren in Bahrain
Although Max Verstappen chalked up a decisive victory over the McLarens at last week’s Japanese Grand Prix, he believes the higher-degradation properties of the Bahrain circuit will ensure Red Bull is in for a much tougher weekend. It has been well documented that McLaren’s MCL39 has an advantage over its rivals regarding tyre degradation over […]
How Verstappen edged McLaren duo in F1 Japanese GP qualifying
Coming into Q3, McLaren had topped every session of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend – free practice, Q1, and Q2 – positioning the Woking-based team as the clear favourite for pole. Oscar Piastri led the way after the first runs in Q3, with Verstappen trailing by a quarter of a second. «I just thought, ‘I’m […]
McLaren F1 car quirks are «more of a penalty» for Norris
A car that’s quick but difficult to drive: this has become a familiar refrain up and down the grid in the final season of Formula 1’s current ground-effect ruleset. Lando Norris struggled with graining in the sprint race in China, labouring to eighth place after dropping three positions on the opening lap, and then had […]
McLaren car «may well» be slower if adapted to Norris’s driving style
Lando Norris seemed to roll a grenade under the door during a press conference ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix when he said he had effectively given up persuading his McLaren team to design a car which suits his preferred attacking style. Since the MCL39 was the benchmark car at the season opener – Norris […]
McLaren experiments with rear wings, Sauber improves with aero updates
As expected, very few genuinely new parts arrived at the Australian Grand Prix as the 10 Formula 1 teams sought to put more mileage on the packages they ran with in Bahrain testing. That’s not to say anyone didn’t dabble in a bit of early update fun; Sauber introduced a new set of wings for […]