Lando Norris pulls back the curtain on his struggles with McLaren's 2025 F1 challenger ‘MCL39'

Lando Norris believed that his early-season struggles at McLaren stemmed from a lack of steering feel and confidence in the MCL39. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, ahead of the 2025 British GP, the Briton explained that a lack of familiarity with the car’s behavior made it difficult for him to fully adapt.

From the start of the season, Norris has voiced discomfort with the car, particularly its balance, an issue his teammate Oscar Piastri has not faced. While the Australian has consistently extracted strong performances from the MCL39, Norris has taken longer to feel at one with the machine. Recent upgrades, however, have helped improve that connection.

Describing his challenges in more detail, Lando Norris explained that his feel for the car largely comes through his hands, particularly in areas like grip and steering input. The absence of that sensation limited his ability to push the car's limit. Although the improvements introduced in Austria have helped, Norris admitted that he still wasn't fully comfortable in the car. He emphasized that every driver has a unique way of sensing the car’s behavior, and for him, it’s all about steering feel through his hands.

Asked by Sportskeeda what areas he struggled with in the MCL39, Lando Norris said:

“I'll clear up the first bit. I'll say I'm more comfortable. I wouldn't say I'm completely comfortable. The thing is, it's hard because I can't really compare to many other people. I don't know what other people think, feel, do inside the car, and I can only speak for myself and my experience of previous years, and only ever driving McLarens, because that's the only car I've ever driven.

"So, I have to use my experience and voice my opinion on what I think is different and all those things based upon my past experiences in different cars over the past few years. But I'm also very much a driver who feels most of my things, like most people, through their hands.

"There are obviously many other senses that when you're in the car, you try to use and utilize and put them all together, whether it's your vision and just feeling through your body and your legs, your feet, but always my understanding of where the grip lies comes through my hands and through the steering wheel. For me, that's my most sensitive area.”

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Lando Norris admits that losing the feeling of the car hinders him from performing at his fullest potential

Lando Norris even stated that losing the feeling of the car, particularly the grip and steering sensation, has hindered his ability to extract the maximum performance from it. He felt that this limitation had prevented him from performing at his full potential. The McLaren driver also noted that he tends to be more vocal about such issues with the team compared to his former teammates, such as Carlos Sainz or Daniel Ricciardo.

Norris acknowledged that his heightened sensitivity and feedback can be both a strength and a weakness. He explained that he was working closely with McLaren to fine-tune these aspects of the car so he could drive at his absolute best.

Explaining the factor limiting him in the MCL39, Lando Norris said:

“Anything that's always been since I've started, I've always been very vocal, more vocal than my past team-mates, whether that was with Carlos or Daniel, on issues that I've had in terms of feeling through the steering and grip and understanding these different things. That can be positive and negative at the same time, but that's just something I've learned over the years.

"I think it's a strength of mine, my understanding of that. But therefore, when I don't have those feelings and I can't use those feelings to get the maximum out of the car to perform at my limit, then I'm not happy, I guess. And I'm not as comfortable as I want to be. So, it's trying to understand where I feel like we've lacked or we've lost some of those things this season and how to get them back.”

In the past, Lando Norris was consistently the more comfortable driver at McLaren. From 2021 to 2023, the Briton had a car that naturally suited his driving style. Even in 2024, the car appeared more aligned to his preferences than those of his teammate. However, in 2025, the MCL39 has been developed to suit both drivers more equally. While setups can be adjusted to match individual preferences, some characteristics require structural updates that cannot be altered race-to-race.

Despite this, McLaren remains in a league of their own, with the Drivers’ championship evolving into an intra-team battle. Oscar Piastri leads the standings with 216 points, while Lando Norris trails closely with 201, just 15 points behind heading into his home race at the British GP. In the Constructors’ championship, McLaren holds a dominant lead over Ferrari, sitting 207 points clear with a total of 417 points.