Norris hails McLaren for building an “amazing car” for 2025
On the back of his victory at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Lando Norris has hailed McLaren for building an “amazing car” for the 2025 F1 season.
Following a strong showing during pre-season testing in Bahrain, McLaren continued to impress at the Albert Park, showing dominant performance both in qualifying and race trim.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked out the front row for the Australian Grand Prix, but the Melbourne-born driver was pipped by Verstappen on the opening lap. However, he managed to recover that position, and the two McLarens looked in total control of the race.
With late rain incoming, both Norris and Piastri made mistakes which saw Piastri slide off onto the grass. He needed almost a minute to recover his McLaren while Norris managed to fend off the late attacks from Verstappen to clinch his first victory of the season.
“It’s an incredible start to the year and the team have given me an amazing car from the get-go, “ started Norris. “Whilst it was a tough race due to the unpredictable conditions and the pressure from Oscar and Max, I felt comfortable and confident out there in the package the team have given us.
“A tough race, especially with Max behind me. I was pushing. The last two laps were a little bit stressful: I'm not going to lie. But an amazing way to start the year. A tough one because we went off, made some big mistakes. I went through the gravel, a lot of damage. Just tricky conditions, but these are the ones that are enjoyable, fun, and unpredictable. This time, we got it right and ended up on top. So, I’m very happy. “
The Bristol-born driver continued: “My weekend's been amazing. From the get-go—from FP1, FP2, FP3, quali, and now the race. It's not easy to put a weekend together like this, especially when I've got a lot of pressure from Max and Oscar because they're hungry, competitive, and want it just as badly.
“Stressful, but I know what I'm capable of. I know what I can do. But like you said, it's just Round 1, so we need to go and do it again next weekend and continue from there. A long season ahead—we just have to keep our heads down and keep pushing.
“It’s been a great weekend. We now need to go to China, do it again, and continue from there. There’s a long season ahead, and we have to keep our heads down and keep pushing,” concluded Norris.
His team-mate Oscar Piastri was understandably very disappointed to end up only tenth on a day when he looked quick enough to take his maiden home victory.
“A disappointing result after a really positive weekend. I had the speed and I felt in very good shape to fight for the win. Unfortunately, at the end, I just lost it in the sudden rain.
“Thanks to the team for all their efforts and thanks to all the Australian fans who have given me so much good energy and support over the last few days. It means a lot.”
