"My car’s not half a second off, is it? My driving’s half a second off": Lando Norris shares a depressing verdict during the F1 Singapore GP FP2

Lando Norris had an intriguing radio exchange during the second free practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. His race engineer, Will Joseph, had urged him to do continuous runs during the final leg of the session, leading him to question why to follow the suggested plan.

The 25-year-old will make his fifth race start at the Marina Bay Circuit this year. He is the reigning winner at the circuit after leading 62 of the 62 laps at the track.

So, in an attempt to again make a bid to win the race this year, he would have to iron out the mistakes at the practice sessions this weekend. However, Norris has not been at the top end of the time chart at the Friday running in Marina Bay.

He finished the FP1 session in sixth, but only moved up to fifth at the end of FP2. He was around half a second off the pace set by Oscar Piastri. So, when Will Joseph asked him to do continuous runs for the final leg of the session, he made a peculiar radio call:

"Why do you wanna do continuous [laps]? I’m half a second off... My car’s not half a second off, is it? My driving’s half a second off."

Lando Norris has always finished inside the points at the Singapore GP, and his results have moved in an upward trend.

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Lando Norris is ready to take on the Singapore Grand Prix

Lando Norris driving the McLaren MCL39 at the Marina Bay Circuit for the FP1 session during the F1 Grand Prix of Singapore race weekend - Source: Getty

Lando Norris was classified seventh at the 2019 Singapore GP. He then claimed P4 at the 2022 edition of the race. But his string of impressive results started at the 2023 race.

He claimed a stellar runner-up spot at the 2023 race, where Carlos Sainz and he worked in tandem to secure a 1-2 finish, while driving for two different teams. So, the 2024 race was a clear improvement for him as he took the chequered flag as the race leader.

Looking at the 2025 edition of the fabled night race, Norris said ahead of the race weekend (via McLaren):

"I’m looking forward to racing under the lights again in Singapore. It was good to be back in Woking after Baku, resetting with the team and spending time in the sim. I’ve got good memories here - a podium and a win last year - so I’m ready to go for it again."

Lando Norris currently sits 25 points adrift of Oscar Piastri, who is leading the drivers' championship. He has been reducing the points deficit in the last two race weekends, as the difference between the two has gone down nine points in these two weekends.