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Lando Norris’ defense of his Singapore Grand Prix crown has not gone to plan. The McLaren driver qualified only fifth on Saturday, while teammate and championship rival Oscar Piastri put his car on the second row. The 2024 winner admitted the MCL39 has not handled Singapore’s new tarmac well, especially with front tire grip.
Just two months ago, Norris looked like he was finally putting together a title charge. After Hungary, he had cut Piastri’s lead down to just nine points. But since then, a DNF at Baku and a disastrous P18 finish at Monza have left him 25 points adrift of his teammate. Max Verstappen, meanwhile, won the past two races and cut the deficit to Norris down to 44.
Suddenly, one of the year’s most consistent drivers is on the back foot. Norris had come to Singapore hoping to repeat his 2024 win, but the weekend has not delivered so far. Speaking after the session, he explained:
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"I mean, different different (factors). I think others are just also improving. Mercedes are doing a very good job. Red Bull like we've seen have been very good last few weekends. So nothing's a surprise. I think the only thing is Singapore has always been a little bit of a weird one and we know whenever we struggle with the front tires we struggle a lot as a team." (0:35 onwards)
Lando Norris' qualifying session showed a lack of pace. After solid runs in Q1 and Q2, his best lap in Q3 was a 1m29.586s, enough only for fifth. The frustration was evident, especially as he explained how the resurfaced track had shifted the balance away from McLaren’s strengths.
"We know that anytime, everyone in the grid struggles with the front tires, like they are this weekend with the new tarmac bits, Mercedes is normally always a team that comes out on top, like Vegas last year, for instance. So, I think we understand when you put two and two together why we’ve struggled a little bit. Just the front of the car not being strong enough and too much understeer and things like that. Then you have to make compromises. You almost give up rear grip for that and you just kind of get into a bad area," he added.
Oscar Piastri, who had also been struggling through practice, recovered strongly in Q3 to put himself third on the grid, showing just how costly Lando Norris’ lack of comfort could be in Sunday’s race.
"We’re not in a position this year," says Lando Norris after Singapore qualifying
Lando Norris’ Singapore Grand Prix weekend has been difficult from the start. He was sixth in FP1, fifth in FP2 and FP3, consistently behind the front-runners. On Saturday, his Q3 time left him nearly four tenths away from George Russell’s pole time, a gulf that showed McLaren’s limitations at Marina Bay.
Asked if there was still hope in race trim, the McLaren driver was realistic.
"I think you're asking for a lot… I'm sure I’ll go back to my room later and we’ll ask the team, we’ll ask ourselves the same questions. But this track is all about qualifying. And there’s always chances in the race. But, not many. And if you’re starting where we are, normally it’s can you get on to third or second or whatever. But, a win, like I saw for me last year, as soon as you’re out front, clean air, it’s just easy. We’re not in a position this year. So, yeah, a lot of work to do tonight." (2:17 onwards)
Since 2019, every Singapore winner has started from the first two rows. Sebastian Vettel from P3 in 2019, Sergio Pérez from P2 in 2022, and the past two winners from pole. Even with three DRS zones, overtaking remains brutally difficult on the narrow, technical streets. That puts McLaren in a precarious spot, as without a front-row start, the team’s best weapon may already be blunted.
McLaren’s dominance earlier this season, with 12 wins from 17 races, has given way to late-year stumbles. The MCL39 lacks the front wing upgrades most of the grid has introduced, leaving Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri fighting uphill against Mercedes and Red Bull.
