As Formula 1 arrives in Miami for the sixth round of the 2025 season, McLaren’s Lando Norris remains calm despite trailing team-mate Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ standings.
Piastri’s dominant start to the season—three wins in five races, including a recent triumph in Saudi Arabia—has put the young Australian 10 points clear at the top of the championship. Meanwhile, Norris, who won the opening race in Australia, has struggled to match his team-mate’s consistency, particularly in qualifying.
Yet, ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, Norris insists he’s “not worried at all” about falling behind in the title race.
“[Piastri’s] doing a good job and he deserves it, nothing more than that,” said Norris. “Clearly I’ve made some mistakes and I’m not at the level I need to be, but I believe I can be at the level soon enough.”
Norris’s biggest challenge so far has come in adapting to the 2025 McLaren’s handling characteristics—specifically a lack of front grip on corner entry, which has prevented him from pushing the car to its limits in qualifying. It’s a subtle issue, but in a sport decided by fractions of a second, it can be the difference between pole position and the second row.
“There are just certain things that don’t allow me to feel what I need to feel,” Norris explained. “When we’re talking about qualifying at hundredths and thousandths of seconds, that’s what I’m complaining about.”
The Briton admits Piastri may have adapted more quickly to the revised McLaren, but he sees that as part of the challenge: “It’s also a driver’s job to adapt. Whether the changes suit Oscar or not is not something I’m going to waste time on. It has hurt me, but I’m working through it.”
Despite the early-season setbacks, Norris remains optimistic. He revealed that a series of upgrades are due for the McLaren in upcoming races and hopes they will help bridge the gap. Still, he’s not placing all his hopes on the car’s evolution.
“I don’t just want to rely on that,” he said. “There are things I’m working on myself. It takes time, but I’ll keep my head down and work on my things.”
Piastri, for his part, has impressed not just with results but with his measured approach. Reflecting on his form, he said: “The car is an evolution of last year’s. There’s some stuff that’s different, but a lot that’s the same. I feel like I’ve taken a step forward across the board.”
Piastri added that while he’s leading the championship, it’s the effort behind the results that he values most. “The lead is nice, but I’m more proud of the reasons behind it,” he said. “I’ve still missed out on some poles by a few hundredths of a second, so there’s more digging to do.”
His comeback from ninth in Melbourne—after sliding off-track and getting stuck on wet grass—highlighted both his resilience and McLaren’s competitiveness. While both drivers acknowledge the car is quick, they agree that extracting that speed consistently is not always straightforward.
“There are still some things we’re trying to iron out as a team,” Piastri noted.
Elsewhere in the paddock, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was notably absent from Thursday’s media duties. The four-time world champion is expecting his first child with partner Kelly Piquet and stayed with her in Europe. A Red Bull spokesperson confirmed the news, adding: “All is well. We will not be offering any further comment at this time in respect towards the privacy of Max and his family.”
Verstappen is expected to join the team in Miami in time for Friday’s practice session.
With 24 races on the calendar this season, Norris remains mathematically and mentally in contention. His relaxed attitude—coupled with self-awareness and confidence in his development—suggests that the title race at McLaren may just be getting started.
As the Miami International Autodrome prepares for Sunday’s 21:00 BST race start, fans can expect fireworks—not just between Red Bull and Ferrari, but perhaps most intriguingly, between two rising stars in orange.
