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Carlos Sainz used Daniel Ricciardo's career being derailed by an unsuitable car as a warning for former teammate Lando Norris, as the McLaren driver has struggled to get to grips with the car. The 2025 F1 season is arguably the worst that Norris has seemingly put together in his career, and a lot of it has been due to making too many mistakes.
Norris is in a championship battle this season, and his primary rival is his teammate, Oscar Piastri. It has become apparent that, compared to the last couple of years, Piastri has leveled up and is either at Lando Norris' level or a bit better. This has seemingly caught the Brit off guard, as he has been complaining about a lack of feel with the car since the start of the season.
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Some of the key strengths, where Lando Norris used to have the edge over Oscar Piastri, have seemingly gone, as the Brit has made too many mistakes. As a result, after 10 races this season, Norris is more than 20 points behind in the championship, as Piastri has secured the lead.
Ahead of the F1 Austrian GP, Carlos Sainz talked about the struggles of Lando Norris and used the example of Daniel Ricciardo's challenges with car characteristics at McLaren, which ended up derailing his career.
Talking to M4Sport, Sainz said:
"It's obviously not an easy year for Lando. As an outsider and talking to him, it's clear that he's not getting the same feeling from the car that he's had in previous years. It's unfortunate that this is happening to him in the same year that he's fighting for the championship. We've seen a number of drivers whose careers have been derailed by a year where the car wasn't quite what they wanted."
He added:
"I could mention Daniel, for example, when he went to McLaren. If it happens in the same year that you have a championship-winning car, it's bad luck. But that's why Formula 1 is such a complex sport. It's not just about you and your talent, it's about everything coming together at the right moment."
Carlos Sainz backs Lando Norris to regain his form
The struggles with the car have been well documented for Lando Norris this season, as the Brit has struggled to find a good balance and hustle the lap time out of it. At the same time, Oscar Piastri has been able to drive the package in a better manner.
Carlos Sainz, however, backed Norris to get on top of the challenges he's facing with the car and regain competitiveness. He said:
"I feel like Lando is a driver and he has the ability to turn things around with his talent and his speed. There are still a lot of races left, anything can happen in those, and in the end it will be about putting those qualifying laps together at the right moment."
Lando Norris heads to the F1 Austrian GP, a track where he has often had great results and is 7-1 in qualifying against his teammates. It would be interesting to see what he can do against Oscar Piastri on a track where he tends to perform well.
