F1 2025: Lando Norris and McLaren braced for 'dreadful' Chinese Grand Prix

McLaren

Lando Norris and McLaren braced for 'dreadful' Chinese Grand Prix

Norris has admitted to struggling during the sprint race

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 22 March 2025 11:57

Lando Norris has revealed the struggles he's having with his McLaren car during races in the early season.

Norris won last weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix from pole position, but struggled during the Chinese GP sprint race having qualified down in sixth.

He could only bring his car home in eighth, scrapping around the midfield and only adding one point to his championship total.

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The Brit's weekend has been full of mistakes, with errors on his laps in SQ3 causing the low sprint race starting position, and more mistakes during main race qualifying leaving him unable to challenge team-mate Oscar Piastri for pole position.

Norris will start Sunday's main race from third on the grid, but warned in his post-sprint race interview with Sky Sports F1 that he may struggle in the race.

"The further back you start, the harder it is," Norris said. "I just had a bad first lap. I had to run into the grass a bit in turn six and I lost a couple of positions and then it was difficult to do a lot. Quali didn't help, but I wasn't very good today either."

"At the minute, in the race, I just feel dreadful," he concluded.

Competition tight at the top

Championship leader Norris lost out points-wise to the likes of Piastri, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton during the sprint race, in a season in which every point is likely to be vital.

Four teams look to be capable of securing race wins and potentially challenging for both championships, making sprint races even more crucial in 2025 than they have been in previous years.

The 25-year-old will be desperate to find something in the main race on Sunday in order to take the fight to the likes of Piastri, Verstappen and George Russell, who has put his Mercedes up in second.

Sprint Results: Lewis Hamilton fights off Max Verstappen for epic Ferrari victory at Chinese Grand Prix

McLaren Lando Norris Oscar Piastri Australian Grand Prix Chinese Grand Prix Sky Sports F1