Lando Norris remains confident that McLaren can still mount a serious challenge for the world championship once the Formula 1 calendar picks back up after the Miami Grand Prix. Even though Mercedes and Ferrari have enjoyed a stronger start to the new era, Norris believes the British driver’s team has the tools and determination to fight back. The reigning champion has not yet stood on the podium in any of the first three rounds of his title defence, a stark contrast to teammate Oscar Piastri, who secured a second‑place finish at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Piastri’s result could have been a victory if not for a late Safety Car deployment that disrupted McLaren’s momentum just as they were beginning to close the gap to the leaders. The interruption came during a promising run that hinted the team might be turning a corner before the mandatory April hiatus. Now, with the pause over, every team – McLaren included – has roughly five weeks of intensive work time back at their respective factories before the season resumes in about two weeks. Norris sees this window as a golden opportunity to address the shortcomings that have held them back and to refine the car’s performance.
“I think we can still have a very good season, even though we’re not where we’d like to be at the moment,” he said, acknowledging the 47‑point deficit to Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, who currently leads the championship. He was quick to stress that the team’s current position does not signal surrender or a shift in focus toward next year’s campaign. “This isn’t a case of giving up and only thinking about the future,” Norris explained.
“That mindset rarely works. There are plenty of examples where teams have started the year off on the back foot but finished much stronger – look at 2023, 2024, and beyond. We’re a more capable outfit now than we were then.” Norris added that McLaren has already learned valuable lessons from past setbacks and trusts its collective experience to replicate that turnaround.
“We’ve been there, we’ve done it, we’ve learned, and I’m confident the team knows how to do it again. There’s a lot of hard work ahead, but we’re ready for it.” When asked about the specific areas the team needs to improve, Norris highlighted reliability as a top priority.
Both the McLaren chassis and the Mercedes‑supplied power unit have suffered from intermittent issues that have cost the team valuable points. “We’re not in a terrible spot, but we have to get back into win‑talk and then keep that momentum going every weekend,” he said.
He also pointed out that limited track time has hampered the crew’s ability to extract the maximum from the car. “Early on we realized that actual time in the car and getting laps on the board is crucial for learning how to optimise the package, especially the power unit.
Tiny margins make huge differences. Missing the Chinese Grand Prix and not having enough practice laps in Japan left us with a knowledge gap.” To bridge that gap, McLaren is exploiting the break between Japan and Miami by intensifying its simulation work and conducting a tyre‑testing program at the Nürburgring. Although the test primarily focused on next year’s tyre specifications, Norris emphasized that any seat‑time is beneficial. “Spending time on the wheel, even in a test that isn’t directly about this year’s race‑weekend, never hurts.
It helps us understand the car’s behaviour and feed that data back into our development loop.” Piastri echoed his teammate’s optimism, asserting that the team can re‑establish itself as regular front‑runners over the remaining 19 races. “We have a lot of work to do to get back to the front consistently, but closing the gap to Mercedes and out‑developing the rest of the field is within our control,” the Australian driver said. He also reflected on McLaren’s history of turning adversity into success, noting that the current situation feels more promising than previous attempts, such as the challenges faced in 2024. “I have complete trust that the team will do everything it can to get us there, and I’m genuinely excited to see what we can achieve together.” The next test of the team’s resolve will come at the Miami Grand Prix, scheduled for May 1‑3, which also marks the season’s second Sprint weekend.
The race will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming options available via NOW without a long‑term contract. As the paddock gears up for the next chapter, Norris and Piastri are determined to convert the lessons learned during the break into on‑track performance, aiming to close the points gap and keep McLaren’s title aspirations alive.