The bumpy road to top form
It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Norris this season, even with a car oozing potential. Since the very start, he’s struggled to truly harness the McLaren’s speed—sure, it’s fast, but driving it needed more than just raw talent. The real low point came at the Singapore Grand Prix, where Norris left the track deeply dissatisfied with the feel of his car. Determined to get back on track, he went back to basics with the McLaren team, working to find a new direction.
“It’s tough to say exactly, it’s just that I felt much better in the car today,” Norris told Sky Sports F1 after his Mexico win. “Everything is linked to how I feel in the car. Last year, I felt great and could perform better. This year, I’ve struggled to adapt. It’s incredibly quick, but clearly still tough to drive.”
What changed in Mexico? According to Norris, he finally felt at home behind the wheel again—something missing in previous weekends, even as recently as Singapore.
Recalibrating after setbacks
As Oscar Piastri stacked up victories in the season’s first half, Norris was keenly aware it would be hard to blame McLaren itself. That led to some soul-searching—and not a few doubts:
“There were times at the start of the year when I felt that way, because I never want to criticize my car. The car was winning and Oscar was winning, and the last thing I wanted was to use the excuse of a car that’s not good enough.”
Yet, the breakthrough didn’t come easily. Norris describes the process candidly:
“But I wasn’t settling in, and I couldn’t find a way to make it work. Now, I’ve found a better way to drive it. It’s as simple as that.”
After the Singapore race, he and the team held a long, honest meeting—ninety minutes of hard truths and tough feedback. Norris made it clear what he needed, right down to the exact kind of car that, in his words, ‘we simply can’t win with if it doesn’t give me what I need.’ In Mexico, he finally got just a bit more of what he was looking for—and it made all the difference.
Track conditions: friend for Norris, foe for Piastri
The unique track conditions in Mexico City clearly played a role. With notoriously low grip on the asphalt, Piastri found himself having to adapt to a driving style that didn’t come naturally, while Norris thrived.
According to McLaren’s team principal Andrea Stella:
“He was able to play to the car’s strengths and performance. In a way, these special low-grip conditions really suit him perfectly. It’s a natural way for him to get the lap time—almost the opposite of Oscar’s characteristics.”
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