Lando Norris is confident that McLaren can still mount a strong title defense when the F1 season resumes at the Miami Grand Prix, despite a sluggish start. The reigning champion believes the team can "push hard" to close the gap with frontrunners Mercedes and Ferrari. Norris trails early championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 47 points but remains optimistic about turning the situation around. "I think we can have a good season, even if we're not where we want to be right now," he said.
"We still want to push hard for the championship; this isn't a case of giving up and focusing on next year." Norris cited past examples where the team overcame early struggles to finish strong, and he trusts that McLaren can do it again. The team has been working on resolving reliability issues and developing the car during the break. Norris emphasized the importance of understanding the car and power unit, saying "tiny margins make significant differences." Teammate Oscar Piastri also expressed confidence in the team's ability to get back into regular victory contention, stating, "We have a lot of work to do to be back at the front consistently, but closing the gap to Mercedes and out-developing the field is something that's within our control."