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Lando Norris addressed the claims of the McLaren team having the fastest car on the 2025 Formula 1 grid after the practice sessions at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday. The papaya-colored outfit has seen its MCL39 challenger loosely dubbed by rivals as the quickest of the rest so far.
The Woking-based team took a significant step with its car development since the 2024 Miami Grand Prix and has since largely dominated several races and Grand Prix sessions. This dominance has continued into the 2025 season, with McLaren winning two of the opening three races so far and Norris recording podium finishes in all three Grand Prix starts.
However, ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, and amid speculations that McLaren might be the favorite to win the race, Lando Norris hit out at claims of his team having the fastest car. The 25-year-old explained that his team’s advantage could be due to other rivals running their cars in lower power modes.
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Speaking to the media, as quoted by BBC Sport, the British driver stated:
"Everyone just looks at the timesheets, they have no idea on the information on who turns up (the engine).
"It's (worth) like 0.35 secs around here. That immediately puts us back in the same position as the Mercedes, so at the minute, I wouldn't say we're any quicker."
The McLaren team again were the pace setters during both practice sessions of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Lando Norris led the first session ahead of Pierre Gasly, while teammate Oscar Piastri led the second.
Lando Norris predicts a tricky Bahrain GP weekend for McLaren
Lando Norris continues to temper the growing expectations surrounding the McLaren team for the Bahrain Grand Prix. He has predicted a ‘tricky’ weekend for his team at the Sakhir circuit.
The British driver, who clocked the fastest time in practice, detailed that he has no expectations for the race in the Middle East, heading into the main race as the odds-on favorite to win.
However, sharing his thoughts on his expectations for the weekend, as quoted by Planet F1, Norris stated:
“I have no expectations, I don’t need any expectations of what to expect going into a weekend. I just have my general expectations, which I don’t think we’ll have a big advantage here.
“I think our advantage will be lessened compared to previous weekends, a trickier track, a slower-speed circuit, which has not been as favorable for us, and it’s where the car is in a trickier state compared to what we had potentially last year.”
Lando Norris and the McLaren team have so far enjoyed a stellar start to the 2025 campaign, recording six podium finishes in the three Grand Prix and sprint races held so far this season. The papaya-colored team has already recorded its best-ever start to a Formula 1 season since the turn of the century.
Norris is leading the drivers' standings with 62 points, just one ahead of the defending champions Max Verstappen and 13 points ahead of Piastri. McLaren is comfortably dominating the constructors' table with 36 36-point lead over second-placed Mercedes.
