“Power is nothing without control,” an old Pirelli slogan once said, emphasizing the importance of control both in motorsport and in life. In a way, that slogan also applies to Lando Norris’ journey, who—with his trademark transparency—has clearly laid out the elements preventing him from putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
When asked what positives he took from the Bahrain Grand Prix, Lando Norris replied: “That it’s over, probably.” The Sakhir weekend, by his own admission, was chaotic from qualifying, where he failed to capitalize on the potential of a car that was at least front-row capable.
It was expected, however, that he could recover and at least finish second—a minimum target, considering the title fight and, more importantly, how close this championship could be, point by point, especially with Oscar Piastri’s rising form, unless a third contender enters the mix through future upgrades.
The Start Error Was More Costly Than It Seemed
The first lap showed both sides of Norris: on the one hand, an excellent start that immediately brought him up to third; on the other, a grid positioning error that earned him a five-second penalty. Although this may seem relatively “minor” given the car’s potential, in reality, that penalty had a greater impact than one might think.
McLaren had to carefully evaluate the best window for the first pit stop: not only had the opportunity to undercut George Russell vanished, but they also had to ensure Norris would rejoin in clean air to avoid putting further stress on the tyres.
As a result, by the end of the first stint, there was a four-lap gap between him and George Russell, and even seven compared to Charles Leclerc, who had started on the medium tyre. This offset made it quite easy for the Monegasque to pass Norris in the second phase of the race.
This gives a clear picture of how even a simple five-second penalty can shape a race where Lando Norris had the potential to finish second. Add to that the uncertainty after the Safety Car, where it took several laps for him to pass both Ferraris despite having significantly better-performing tyres.
These are mistakes Norris himself acknowledged after the race: “Every time I did something good, I did two things wrong, in a way. I was the one slowing down my own progress compared to what I could’ve achieved today,” the Briton said.
Norris Hasn’t Embraced Some Changes on the MCL39
Looking back at his F1 career—long before he was fighting for a title—both mistakes and his candid honesty in owning them have always been part of Norris’ path. However, his approach today seems almost in contrast to Piastri’s composed demeanour.
“Power is nothing without control.” This start to the season has revealed two sides: on one, Lando is highly competitive in terms of raw speed, as seen in recent seasons; on the other, to fully unleash that potential, he needs to find that “click” with the car—something that’s currently missing.
The 2025 car, as team principal Andrea Stella explained, has undergone more significant changes than it may appear externally, including mechanical alterations. The first four qualifying sessions of the season have shown that it’s now harder to extract that final tenth than before—a difficulty affecting not only Lando Norris but also Oscar Piastri.
However, as Andrea Stella admitted, some of these changes seem to have had more of an impact on the British driver’s driving style than the Australian’s. the former Ferrari race engineer fully understands the value of stability and stressed how essential it is to give drivers confidence. In this sense, he has been very protective, pointing out that it’s the team’s responsibility to put Norris in a position where he feels more at ease with the MCL39.
“I’d like to know the answer,” Norris said when asked what he could work on in the short term to feel more in sync with the car. “When you’re an athlete, a driver, anything—you know when things work, when you feel confident, when you’re comfortable. I’m sure I have everything I need, I have the skills. I have no doubt about that.
“But something’s not clicking between me and the car. I can’t even do one lap like I did last year. Back then I knew, corner by corner, what to expect from the car. I felt completely in control.”
Missing the “Click” That Was There With the MCL38
“This year, I couldn’t feel more the opposite. Even in Australia, where I won, I never really felt comfortable, never confident. The car is fantastic, and that’s helping me solve a lot of problems,” Norris added, pointing out that naturally, having the most balanced and fastest car on the grid helps partially mask his issues—but they still emerge when he tries to push to the limit and extract 100% from it.
“But I’m far from the level I know I can reach, and it hurts to say that. I’ve spent a lot of time analysing everything, trying to understand what I’m struggling with and what isn’t working. I’m trying to figure out what changed from last year. I’m not doubting myself, even if it may sound like that. It’s just that something isn’t fitting. But I’m confident in myself, I know I’ve got what it takes. I just don’t feel comfortable.”
Clearly, behind this missing “click” are technical reasons that Andrea Stella didn’t want to go into: “We know what it is technically. Lando is adapting, and in a way, that has benefited Oscar. But we’re working on it.”
“It’s just a temporary phase where, even when pushing the car to the limit, some things don’t respond as expected. When you’re looking for that extra tenth in Q3, these things become very apparent. We know what it is. It’ll just take a bit of adjustment from Lando and some tweaks from us.”
There are signs that suggest McLaren is still not very efficient at getting the front tyres up to temperature quickly in cooler conditions—a trend also seen in the past, when the papaya car struggled with graining. But more broadly, Lando is currently suffering from what seems to be excessive sensitivity in the MCL39 and how to exploit it in corners.
Clearly, some aspects can be addressed via setup, where there’s always room to find better adjustments, but others will require understanding how future updates will work. McLaren has already said it’s working on this for Norris.
However, Andrea Stella also wanted to emphasize another point. “The way Lando is handling this situation is the same as other world champions I’ve seen in the past. That’s where he’s relatively unique—in his transparency. Somehow, it makes it visible. Listening to the post-qualifying interview, he was very self-critical. I know other champions in the past would’ve said, ‘The problem is elsewhere.’”
“And that’s what I admire about Lando, and what makes me feel very lucky as a team principal: he tends to absorb the blame and take responsibility. Yesterday, for example, he knew he didn’t put the lap together and said, ‘Guys, it’s not your fault, it’s my fault.’ Which isn’t true, because we know we’ve made changes to the car that made things harder for him. When we judge a driver, we should consider these aspects. And for me, as team principal, they’re essential for continuing to build.”
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