While Lando Norris often complains about his McLaren car, the truth is the Woking-based team currently has the fastest machine on the grid. But there’s a reason they’re not tailoring it specifically to suit his driving style.
McLaren has been on fire in the 2025 season. They’ve already grabbed two pole positions and won both the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix. Norris claimed victory at Albert Park, while his teammate Oscar Piastri took the checkered flag in Shanghai.
“I think, like [Norris] said, he stopped asking for what he likes and we’ve produced a faster car,” Technical Director Neil Houldey told media in China.
The team’s philosophy is surprisingly straightforward.
“We just try and generate the fastest car that we possibly can, and he is good enough to manage that and change his driving style to suit,” Houldey explained.
Norris hasn’t been shy about his struggles with the MCL39. After qualifying in China, he admitted: “Just a couple of mistakes again, kind of been my case this weekend, but the car was feeling a bit better today. I’ve got a lot more comfortable with the car, so a step in the right direction.”
This came after what he described as “struggling a lot” during practice sessions.
The team’s approach might seem tough on their drivers, but the results speak for themselves.
“If we focused on trying to make the car work for his driving style, then we may well end up with a slower car,” Houldey continued. “I think so far it looks like we’ve taken the right route. And luckily Lando is awesome enough to cope with that and to find a fast way of driving it.”
The strategy is paying off big time. The British driver now leads the drivers’ standings after two rounds this season with 44 points – eight more than defending world champion Max Verstappen and 10 ahead of teammate Piastri.
Not bad for a driver who’s had to adapt his style rather than have the car built around him.
