McLaren Looking at Car Change to Help Lando Norris in the Title Fight

McLaren is working to help their driver Lando Norris feel more comfortable in the car, as the Brit has struggled with qualifying so far this season, especially compared to his teammate.

When reviewing the standings, everything appears to be going well for the Papaya team, with Norris leading the Drivers Championship and the team at the top of the Constructors' Standings.

According to many in the paddock, the MCL39 is the fastest car on the grid and also the best performing one.

From tire wear to one-lap pace, the car is seemingly the cream of the crop, though it is unclear how much of an edge it has on the competition.

More News: James Vowles Predicts Sainz will be "On The Money" Soon

Throughout the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, Norris has struggled with the car during qualifying runs, frequently running wide or encountering issues that prevent him from achieving a clean lap.

During Q3 in Japan, Norris was four tenths behind his teammate Oscar Piastri until he produced a clean lap to take provisional pole, but Verstappen responded with a brilliant lap.

For Lando to challenge for a title, he cannot struggle this much to complete a lap, and McLaren team boss Andrea Stella is fully aware that an adjustment is necessary.

“We know that with Lando there's one aspect of the car that we need to improve to give him a little bit more of a natural flow when having to deliver the first lap,” Stella said.

More News: Max Verstappen Relieved with Pole Position: "It Wasn't Easy"

“I think this has been now very well identified, and we plan to do some further work in the coming races to see if we can get the car to more naturally do what he expects and thinks should be possible from the car.”

Stella did not provide specifics about which part of the car is being worked on; however, he seemed to hint that it could be the brakes.

“I think it has to do with the driver's input to the car, and the response of the car to this input,” he said.

“At the moment, I think it's a little too sensitive.”

Always appreciated 🤝#McLaren | #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/7CL86rjJlE
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 5, 2025

Norris has struggled with graining on his front tires, leading to additional tire degradation, likely related to his braking technique.

Piastri, on the other hand, has not struggled as much and has gotten a good handle on the feel.

Stella clarified that while Lando may be struggling more with the brake sensitivity issue, Piastri is simply dealing with it better, not necessarily mitigating the issue altogether.

More News: FIA, Engine Suppliers to meet at the Bahrain GP for the Return of V10 Engines

“I think Oscar, in relation to this specific area of the car, seems to be more comfortable,” he said.

“Oscar, he has some other aspects in which he needs to get slightly more comfortable."

"For instance, for him, sector one today and corner two in particular, was a little bit of a hit and miss."

Qualifying run down with a side of the hiccups 🤣#McLaren | #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/K3AyLowhMx
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 5, 2025

“Unfortunately, he missed it in the second attempt of Q3 because the rest of the lap was just amazing."

“I have to say that the two drivers, if anything at the moment, when really trying to nail the car at the limit, have slightly different requirements in terms of what they expect naturally from the car and what they get back from the behaviour of the car."

“So from both sides of the garage, we have some opportunities to work on.”

For more F1 news, head over to F1 on SI.