Lando Norris has attributed his victory at the Mexican Grand Prix to a post-race debriefing in Singapore in which McLaren gained key insights about the current Formula 1 car.
“We sat down for half an hour and I said: ‘Guys, I don’t want this exact car. That’s the reason why we can’t win more races and will have problems in the future if nothing changes,'” Norris revealed on Sky Sports F1. “This weekend I had a little more of what I needed – and that made all the difference.”
The Brit dominated the entire weekend in Mexico City. He secured pole position with a lead of 0.262 seconds over Charles Leclerc, while teammate Oscar Piastri was around six tenths behind.
In the race, Norris extended his lead over Leclerc to an impressive 30 seconds. Statistically speaking, it was the clearest Grand Prix victory since Max Verstappen’s triumph at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, when he crossed the finish line 34 seconds ahead of Norris.
Norris: MCL39 is “incredibly fast but difficult to drive”
Norris did not always feel comfortable in the cockpit of the McLaren MCL39 this season. He found it difficult to fully exploit the car’s potential, especially in qualifying. The reason for this was his trust in the front of the vehicle, which did not suit his natural driving style. That has now changed.
“I just feel more comfortable in the car today,” explained Norris after the race. “It all depends on how I feel in the car. Last year I had a very good feeling and was able to perform accordingly. This year I had more difficulty understanding the car. It is incredibly fast but difficult to drive. However, if you hit the right window, it works perfectly.”
With his victory, Norris ended a drought of five races without success and took the lead in the world championship standings from Piastri for the first time since the Bahrain Grand Prix in April. However, the Australian is only one point behind, while Max Verstappen remains a serious title contender, 36 points behind. Before the summer break, Norris still had an 88-point lead over the Dutchman.
Video: Formula 1 World Championship “very, very strong”
When asked if he ever doubted himself, the 25-year-old answered openly: “At the beginning of the year I definitely doubted. I never want to blame my car – especially not when my teammate wins. But I haven’t found a way to drive the car the way I need it.”
“Now I’m slowly finding the right approach. One good race doesn’t mean anything, but two, three or four in a row does. The last few months have been good, but Max has caught up. I had a strong weekend, but I have to stay focused,” said Norris.