Lando Norris: “People can say what they want, what matters is I’ve found my Qualifying pace again”. Lando Norris hits back at critics after his Monaco pole.

Monaco a turning point for Lando?
Lando Norris hadn’t won in six races in this 2025 season. The McLaren driver started strong by winning in Australia, but then had to listen to the Australian anthem four times and the Dutch one twice at the end of the six races following his Melbourne victory.

In terms of race wins, Oscar Piastri currently leads Lando Norris 4–2, but the gap in the Drivers’ standings is minimal. Only three points separate the two McLaren drivers, with Max Verstappen still very much in the fight, 25 points behind the Australian. Lando Norris had already edged out Oscar Piastri at Imola, but in Monaco, his performance against his teammate was decisive. Most importantly, Norris returned to the top in Qualifying—an area that had been troubling him, as one-lap pace has always been a hallmark of the British driver.

At the press conference, Lando Norris was asked how important this personal revenge in Monaco was for him after months of criticism. The McLaren driver responded by stressing how crucial it was for him to rediscover his Qualifying form:

“People can write whatever they want. It’s not up to me. People have their opinions—most of the time, 99% of it is baseless or untrue. So, it’s all bulls**t. I don’t care what people write, as long as I know the truth and my team knows the truth. Over the past months, I’ve worked hard to regain the confidence I had in Australia. What I felt this weekend was a small step forward. It’s not like I’ve nailed it now and everything’s back to how it was. There are still things I need to work on as a driver, and others we need to work on as a team to get a car I feel comfortable in.” – he pointed out after the Monaco Grand Prix.

“Anyway, I’m very proud of Saturday’s pole—I’m actually happier about that result than the win. I’ve been a fast driver in Qualifying my whole life, and getting that back is what matters most to me. If you’re not performing at your best, you can’t compete with the best drivers in the world. No one knows how much work and effort has gone into this—only me and the team do, and those are the only two entities that need to know the reality, and that’s how it’s going to stay.” – the McLaren driver concluded.