The Las Vegas Grand Prix officially ended Lando Norris’s slim hopes of a maiden Formula 1 title, with the 24-year-old finishing sixth and watching Max Verstappen secure his fourth consecutive championship. Following the race, Norris didn’t hold back, calling on McLaren to address persistent weaknesses in their car design that he says have plagued the team for over five years.
“McLaren’s Longstanding Issues Exposed”
Norris’s frustration was evident as he described how fundamental flaws in McLaren’s car—particularly its tendency to struggle on certain tracks and under specific conditions—derailed his title campaign.
“Clearly, we have a lot of work to do with our car,” Norris said. “It’s too difficult to drive. It doesn’t work in these conditions, and it doesn’t work on many other tracks where we’ve had similar conditions.”
The Briton pointed to front-graining issues—where uneven tyre wear causes loss of grip—as a recurring problem that has haunted McLaren since his debut in 2019.
“It’s been a complaint of mine for the last six years, and we’ve still not been able to iron it out,” he explained. “Some tracks hide these issues, but we’ve always been one of the worst teams for front graining.”
“A Season of Near-Misses and Frustrations”
Despite McLaren’s midseason upgrades, which propelled the team into contention, Norris highlighted the inconsistency of the car’s performance. Tracks with cold conditions or specific layouts—like Las Vegas—exposed vulnerabilities that made competing with rivals like Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari even harder.
“Sometimes, even when people think we’ve had the best car, we’ve absolutely not,” Norris said. “We’ve still managed to win some of those races, but on weekends like this, even when I drive well, there’s nothing more I can do.”
McLaren’s issues with graining have been particularly glaring on street circuits and low-grip tracks, with Norris citing Montreal and Mexico as other examples of where the team fell short.
“Graining kills us,” he explained. “Today, we couldn’t manage it enough. The problems were way too severe. Mercedes was easily the quickest here, and it was the same story in Montreal—they should have won there, while we struggled.”
“Looking Ahead to 2025”
Norris’s demands for change come as McLaren fights to retain its narrow 24-point lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship. With two races left in the season, the team faces a crucial moment as they try to secure their first championship silverware since 1997.
But for Norris, the focus is already on long-term fixes to McLaren’s car philosophy.
“There are traits and weaknesses in our car that I’ve pointed out for a while, but they’re very difficult to eliminate,” he said. “It’s something we’re working on a lot, and I hope we can fix it for the future.”
“Norris’s Quiet Confidence Despite Defeat”
While Norris was clearly disappointed to lose the title fight, he struck a note of optimism for the future, emphasizing his belief in his own abilities.
“I feel like I’ve driven very well this year,” he said. “I know deep down that I have what it takes to fight for a championship. I just need the car to match.”
With the Qatar Grand Prix up next, Norris and McLaren will aim to finish the season strong, but the lessons of 2024 are already shaping the team’s plans for 2025. Whether they can overcome their longstanding technical weaknesses remains to be seen—but for Norris, the fight is far from over.
