In Bahrain, McLaren is soaring with Oscar Piastri, and Lando Norris is in despair — a scenario that complicates his path to a first F1 title. The Briton couldn’t do better than sixth on the grid, despite having a car with immense potential. The MCL39 confirms itself as the car to beat in Sakhir: Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull remain too far behind to pose a real threat to the Woking-based team for the win.
Plenty of storylines from a Saturday in the desert. A qualifying session that initially seemed predictable turned into a display of strength by two drivers from different teams: Oscar Piastri grabbed a crucial pole position in the title fight, with Lando Norris only sixth. At Ferrari, Charles Leclerc returned to the front row, finishing seven-tenths ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Both British drivers had sessions that fell far short of expectations: #44 couldn’t extract the maximum potential from the SF-25, while the current championship leader admitted he hadn’t felt confident in the car all weekend. In fact, from Friday onwards, it was the Australian in the Papaya garage setting the pace, determined to repeat his victory from the Chinese Grand Prix.
Lando Norris between one-word answers and a distressed expression
A blow of this magnitude — not caused by the car but by “his own fault,” as he admitted — is tough to swallow. The young Brit is often described as a rather fragile driver, prone to issuing desperate, self-critical statements. His post-qualifying reaction in Bahrain reinforces that image.
“It was tough every single lap, I was constantly off, didn’t feel comfortable,” Lando Norris told the media. “I can’t complain about anything specific, the car is great. It’s as good as it has been all season. I’ve been off all weekend, I don’t know why, I’m not getting answers from the track. I need a reset, I’m just not fast enough.”
“Oscar [Piastri] is doing a great job, I don’t know why [the car feels so hard to drive]. Driving the car I’m given is my job, and I’m not doing it well. The team is doing an incredible job, I won’t complain about that. I just don’t know how to handle the car at the moment.” – the British driver concluded at the end of the qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
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