Lando Norris is publicly anticipating that McLaren will encounter difficulties again during the Las Vegas Grand Prix, as the squad receives an initial opportunity to secure the Formula 1 drivers’ championship.
Norris is ahead of Max Verstappen, who holds third position, by 49 points in the classification. He needs to extend this lead to 58 points after the Las Vegas event for his Red Bull competitor to be eliminated from title contention.
However, the Nevada course presented McLaren with its most significant obstacle of the previous year. The MCL38 exhibited substantial problems with graining, leading to Norris and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, failing to qualify or achieve a top-five finish.
“It’s simply very challenging, possessing extremely low grip. It feels as though I could operate a standard road vehicle more swiftly than we are driving currently…” Norris remarked informatively following practice sessions.
Advancing to the subsequent 12 months, McLaren has substantially commanded the 2025 championship – concerning the constructors’ aspect, at least. Team leader Andrea Stella indicated that Las Vegas should not pose as considerable a challenge, given that this year’s Pirelli tires do not experience as much graining. However, the anticipated chilly conditions – potentially dropping to 7C – imply that Norris remains unconvinced.
During the post-race press conference in Sao Paulo, when questioned about whether the cold would impede McLaren, the Briton responded: “Impede, unquestionably. I believe it was our poorest performance last year. Therefore, I am not especially enthusiastic about it.
“We have been dedicating significant effort to enhancing these areas. We recognize that Mercedes demonstrated incredible strength there last year, along with Red Bull and Ferrari. I believe we ranked at the bottom among those four.
“Clearly, we have improved numerous aspects this year, so I will refrain from being overly pessimistic about it. I believe there are ample reasons to be optimistic. We acknowledge that Abu Dhabi and Qatar are events we are anticipating. Las Vegas is viewed slightly less favorably, as it has probably represented some of our weakest showings over the past two years. Therefore, let us observe what unfolds.”
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Norris’s perspective was interpreted as consistently unfavorable by a journalist, who then inquired about his mentality concerning his championship advantage.
“I am entitled to express my opinions,” Norris countered. “I am entitled to my thoughts. I consistently endeavor to be as truthful as possible. If I anticipate a lack of speed, I will voice that anticipation.
“I am not suggesting that I anticipate finishing tenth. I am merely indicating that I anticipate it will be challenging to secure victory. We were significantly behind – merely examine the data from the preceding year. Scrutinize the race records – we were substantially behind.
“There have been numerous instances where we have lacked sufficient speed this year. It is not as though we have triumphed in every single event, prompting you to anticipate me expressing such sentiments. I am merely providing my assessment of whether I anticipate it will be straightforward.
“I achieved victory last weekend by a margin of 30 seconds – comparatively effortlessly. I achieved victory today through greater exertion, by a mere 10 seconds, and Max potentially exhibited the greatest speed on the track today.
“We have historically struggled in Las Vegas, so why would I presume, ‘Indeed, it will proceed without difficulty’? I am conveying my sincere assessment of how I anticipate our performance will unfold. We have historically struggled there, so I lack utmost confidence concerning that particular event.
“Conceivably, I will emerge victorious – at which point we shall observe. However, I will refrain from falsehoods and declaring, ‘Indeed, I possess substantial confidence, and I anticipate it will be a straightforward weekend’, as I do not anticipate that to be the case. Thus, no – I acknowledge that you are entirely justified in possessing your own perspective on what you believe I should express and what I should abstain from expressing, but I shall proceed as I deem appropriate.”
