Norris says McLaren is too difficult to drive for a title challenge

Ahead of the United States Grand Prix, Lando Norris delivered a warning to McLaren: its car is, in his view, “one of the hardest cars I’ve ever had to drive”. As the grid prepares for the American race, the Briton is challenging the idea that a fast car must also be balanced and straightforward to use.

Norris said the McLaren’s performance had helped conceal its shortcomings. Over the summer, he was regularly among the quickest on the timing sheets, but that speed did not make the car easier to drive. “It wasn’t as if we were winning everything easily; the car was probably one of the hardest I’ve ever had to drive,” he said. He presented the car’s pace and the demands it places on its driver as two separate realities.

In Norris’s view, the difficulty is also apparent when a driver tries to put together a qualifying lap. He described the task as almost impossible, while saying that being quick in those circumstances was almost impossible too. The Briton referred to very small margins when discussing his qualifying performances, but his central point was that the results do not make the car predictable enough to support a title challenge.

“I was putting things together, I was driving well and I could get away with it, but this isn’t a car you can win a championship with,” he continued. His criticism is therefore about more than outright speed: it concerns how difficult the McLaren is to exploit. In his view, a car that is merely fast does not meet the demands of a season in which performance must be repeatable.

Norris has not given up on the prospect of winning this year. He says a victory remains possible, provided McLaren has a quicker car. Looking to next season, he highlighted a different requirement: a car that is considerably easier to drive. He believes the team cannot contend for the championship with the current level of difficulty, even if the car has speed.

The interview took place in Austin as Norris prepared for the Circuit of the Americas. The setting gives his comments added relevance: the track is physically demanding, and several drivers have strongly criticised its bumps and uneven asphalt. Norris has also revealed that violent vertical loads forced him to take headache tablets to cope with impacts against his headrest. McLaren therefore faces a technical task — making its car easier to exploit — on a circuit that adds physical strain to the driving. Norris’s assessment sets out a clear challenge for the team: retain the pace while reducing the unpredictability and difficulty he describes.