Norris refutes ‘dominance’ narrative after Saudi Arabian GP

Dominika Jordan
Apr 21, 2025, 08:15 AM ET

Lando Norris addresses McLaren dominance claims, noting tough rivalry with Ferrari, Red Bull.

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Lando Norris has dismissed claims that McLaren’s car is significantly superior to its rivals, pointing to his inability to catch Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for the final podium spot at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as evidence of tighter competition. The British driver recovered from a qualifying crash in Jeddah and worked his way up from 10th on the grid to finish fourth but was ultimately unable to challenge Leclerc or Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who also finished ahead of him.

While Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri claimed victory in Saudi Arabia, moving into the lead of the drivers’ championship for the first time in his career, Norris lost ground in the standings and now sits second, trailing his teammate by 10 points. McLaren, however, continues to dominate the constructors’ championship, winning four of the first five races of the season and establishing an early lead.

Despite McLaren’s success, Norris reiterated his frustration with the narrative that his team’s car is far ahead of the field. “[Ferrari and Red Bull are] just as quick in most sessions, they're just as quick as us in the race,” Norris told Sky Sports. "Just because we're quick in practice, people just keep coming up with all this crap. I mean, they can keep saying what they want. We don't believe we're much ahead, as showed. I think probably Max [Verstappen] was the quickest out there today if he didn't have that five-second penalty, so we have work to do."

Verstappen’s five-second penalty kept him off the top step of the podium, but he remains just two points behind Norris in the championship battle heading into next weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. Between Norris and Piastri on Sunday’s podium were Leclerc in third and Verstappen in second.

Norris also shed light on McLaren’s approach to practice sessions, suggesting it contributes to the perception of an overwhelming pace advantage. "People keep saying that we're the best, we're the quickest, blah, blah, blah, but it's just because we show a bit more pace in practice and then we don't have anything left when it gets to quali, but that's our way of doing things," Norris explained. "That's how we feel, we optimize things. If we didn't do it that way, we'd be even further back."

While acknowledging McLaren’s strength, Norris urged a more measured view of their position. "We have a great car and probably the quickest on average for sure, but clearly not enough," he added.

The tight competition between McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull suggests a thrilling championship fight could be unfolding as the paddock heads to Miami. With Norris looking to rediscover the form that saw him claim his first-ever Formula 1 victory on the Florida circuit last year, all eyes will be on the heated battle at the top of the standings.