Lando Norris shares honest thoughts about McLaren after British GP qualifying
Lando Norris wasn’t shy about showing his frustration with McLaren after qualifying sixth at the British Grand Prix.
After winning his first drivers’ title on his seventh try in 2025, things haven’t gone as smoothly for McLaren and Norris. Mercedes and Ferrari have taken the lead in the standings.
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli had a fantastic weekend, snagging his first Sprint win at Silverstone on Saturday and earning pole position for Sunday’s race, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. It was a great day for the young driver, but the opposite for Norris. After a hectic Sprint race finish, he vented his anger on the radio, shouting a salty message at his team.
“Yeah, well done, good job. Just f*** me guys, let’s get it right for once, please,” he said after his car struggled because it was low on fuel, which forced him to ease off the throttle. Lead race engineer Will Joseph responded, “Good day, we’ll get it right tomorrow.”
Norris’ frustration made sense, especially after missing the chance to catch leaders Antonelli and Hamilton. Even after qualifying sixth for the main race, he kept his criticism aimed at McLaren.
“There are no excuses now. This is pretty poor on our part. On a track like this, it’s about car efficiency and understanding the dynamics. Two teams get it better than everyone else, and that’s why they’re ahead,” he told BBC Sport.
“I don’t think just developing the car is enough; we need to catch up. It’s a mix of things. It will take time, and the team knows time’s not on our side. We have to understand the car and bring upgrades faster than the others. There’s nothing we can do now except get the most out of what we have.”
Looking back at his great battle for the 2025 championship, Norris said he’d be excited to race alongside Max Verstappen as a teammate one day.
Verstappen’s future is a hot topic, especially since Red Bull has been slipping down the standings and is now behind McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes. A move like Verstappen joining McLaren would be massive, similar to Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari. Norris said he’s open to having any top driver as his teammate, including Verstappen.
“I welcome anyone as a teammate,” Norris said. “Max is, along with Lewis and Fernando, a world champion and one of the best. You want to prove yourself against the best, and the best way to do that is to race alongside them. I’d love to have Max, Lewis, or Fernando as my teammate. But I also really like racing with Oscar [Piastri]. He’s an amazing driver and pushes me a lot.”
Of course, Verstappen has always been the top driver on his teams, so working with Norris at McLaren would be a change and it’s still unclear where Verstappen’s future will take him.