AutoGear
  • Latest News
  • AutoGear TV
  • Sustainable Mobility
  • Motorsports
    • Circuits
    • Rally
    • Rally raid
    • WEC
  • English
    • Português
    • Italiano
    • Français
    • Español
    • English
    • Deutsch
    • 日本語
  • STANDINGS
No Result
View All Result
AutoGear
  • Latest News
  • AutoGear TV
  • Sustainable Mobility
  • Motorsports
    • Circuits
    • Rally
    • Rally raid
    • WEC
  • English
    • Português
    • Italiano
    • Français
    • Español
    • English
    • Deutsch
    • 日本語
  • STANDINGS
No Result
View All Result
AutoGear

F1 Chinese GP Sprint: Lando Norris Left Disheartened by First-Lap Mistake, McLaren Struggles in Ferrari Battle

Carl Harrison by Carl Harrison
March 22, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
F1 Chinese GP Sprint: Lando Norris Left Disheartened by First-Lap Mistake, McLaren Struggles in Ferrari Battle

Formula One F1 - Chinese Grand Prix - Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China - March 22, 2025 McLaren's Lando Norris after qualifying in third position REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Lando Norris, the McLaren driver, openly shared his “dreadful” feelings following an error-ridden sprint race at the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix. Despite the competitive pace of his McLaren, Norris found himself slumped in the eighth position, a far cry from his usual performance.

Norris had to settle for a sixth-place start on the grid following missteps in his timed attempts during the SQ3 in Sprint Qualifying. These errors squandered his opportunity to secure pole position, a miss which weighed heavily on the young driver. However, the race-day mishap that saw Norris sliding to ninth place, compounded his disappointment.

The British driver was in the thick of a battle with George Russell at the onset of the race. Unfortunately, Norris’ wheel slipped into the grass while maneuvering Turn 6, causing him to lose his line and subsequently, his position. This error placed him behind Yuki Tsunoda, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and Lance Stroll. It was only towards the end of the race that Norris managed to overtake Stroll at Turn 14, thereby moving up to the eighth position.

When queried about the impact of his starting position, Norris didn’t mince words. He agreed that starting further back did make things harder. He conceded, “I just had a bad first lap. I had to run into the grass a bit into Turn 6 and then lost a couple of positions. It was just difficult to do a lot.”

Despite his disappointment, Norris expressed optimism regarding his speed on single laps. He is confident that this strength will aid him in the main qualifying session, helping him bounce back from the disheartening Sprint experience.

On the other side, Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri had a more successful race. Starting third on the grid, the Australian driver managed to overtake Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in the final laps, securing a commendable second place. However, he fell short of challenging Lewis Hamilton, who was unstoppable as he clinched his first Ferrari win by a margin of 6.8 seconds.

The performance discrepancy between the McLaren drivers was noted by team boss Andrea Stella, who admitted to struggling with tire graining control at the Shanghai International Circuit. He acknowledged that Ferrari, and particularly Hamilton, deserved the pole position and victory. Stella was surprised by Ferrari’s under-performance in Australia, given their superior pace in China.

Stella also pointed out the significant learnings from the Sprint race, particularly the struggles with the front tires, especially for Norris who faced more traffic. He conceded that the strategy to manage the graining didn’t work as expected. Stella emphasized the importance of the upcoming qualifying session for the race, suggesting that the team would take the lessons forward.

In summary, while Norris’ performance in the Chinese GP Sprint was a low note, he anticipates better performance in the main qualifying session. Meanwhile, McLaren will seek to address the tire graining issues that plagued them in the Sprint race, as they continue to compete against the formidable Ferrari team.

Share212Tweet133Send

Related Posts

Guenther Steiner reveals shocking truth: leaving Red Bull transformed his life forever
Motorsports

Guenther Steiner reveals shocking truth: leaving Red Bull transformed his life forever

Guenther Steiner: How Leaving Red Bull Became His Golden Ticket to Success In a stunning revelation, Guenther Steiner, the dynamic...

by Redação
January 31, 2026
Fernando Alonso dazzles in first laps of Adrian Newey’s AMR26: a thrilling new era begins
Motorsports

Fernando Alonso dazzles in first laps of Adrian Newey’s AMR26: a thrilling new era begins

Fernando Alonso, the iconic two-time Formula 1 champion, has officially taken the wheel of the highly anticipated Aston Martin AMR26,...

by Carl Smith
January 31, 2026
Stefano Domenicali unveils groundbreaking 2026 F1 engine rules: Cadillac and Audi join the revolution
Motorsports

Stefano Domenicali unveils groundbreaking 2026 F1 engine rules: Cadillac and Audi join the revolution

John David Mercer

by Simon Monroy
January 31, 2026
Audi faces monumental reliability crisis: F1’s longest-ever challenge revealed after Barcelona test
Motorsports

Audi faces monumental reliability crisis: F1’s longest-ever challenge revealed after Barcelona test

Audi's F1 Ambitions Crushed Under the Weight of a Mounting Crisis: An Unprecedented List of Challenges Unveiled! In a shocking...

by Redação
January 31, 2026

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent News

Guenther Steiner reveals shocking truth: leaving Red Bull transformed his life forever

Guenther Steiner reveals shocking truth: leaving Red Bull transformed his life forever

January 31, 2026
Fernando Alonso dazzles in first laps of Adrian Newey’s AMR26: a thrilling new era begins

Fernando Alonso dazzles in first laps of Adrian Newey’s AMR26: a thrilling new era begins

January 31, 2026
Stefano Domenicali unveils groundbreaking 2026 F1 engine rules: Cadillac and Audi join the revolution

Stefano Domenicali unveils groundbreaking 2026 F1 engine rules: Cadillac and Audi join the revolution

January 31, 2026
Audi faces monumental reliability crisis: F1’s longest-ever challenge revealed after Barcelona test

Audi faces monumental reliability crisis: F1’s longest-ever challenge revealed after Barcelona test

January 31, 2026

Newsletter

  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TECHNICAL INFORMATION
  • EDITORIAL STATUS
  • TERMS AND CONDITIONS

© 2023 AutoGear - Todos os direitos reservados AutoGear.

MSports Play Icon
MSports Play
The New streaming service
Download
×
No Result
View All Result
  • Latest News
  • AutoGear TV
  • Sustainable Mobility
  • Motorsports
    • Circuits
    • Rally
    • Rally raid
    • WEC
  • English
    • Português
    • Italiano
    • Français
    • Español
    • English
    • Deutsch
    • 日本語

© 2023 AutoGear - Todos os direitos reservados AutoGear.