Lando Norris Hopeful McLaren Upgrades at Imola Can bo…read more
Lando Norris is expressing optimism as McLaren prepares to introduce a set of upgrades at the upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola. These developments could prove crucial in bolstering his challenge for the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship. Despite McLaren’s dominant start to the season, in which the team has emerged victorious in five of the first six races, Norris finds himself trailing his teammate, Oscar Piastri, by 16 points in the Drivers’ standings.
The Imola Grand Prix marks the beginning of the European stretch of the Formula 1 calendar—a phase that is often seen as pivotal in shaping the championship battle. This part of the season traditionally provides teams with the opportunity to implement significant technical upgrades. Being closer to their factories makes logistics easier, and the additional development time since the season began allows for deeper refinement of car performance. McLaren is one of several teams expected to unveil a suite of updates in Imola, which could potentially shift the dynamics on the track.
While the team’s overall performance has been stellar, placing them firmly atop the Constructors’ Championship with a sizeable 105-point advantage, Norris has been grappling with certain performance limitations in the MCL39. His primary concern lies in qualifying performance—specifically, his one-lap pace. This has consistently been an area where Piastri has managed to outperform him, securing better grid positions and translating those into stronger race results.
Norris has voiced that the current car setup hasn’t entirely suited his driving style, making it difficult for him to extract maximum performance over a single lap. These qualifying struggles have, in turn, compromised his ability to fight for race wins or podiums as effectively as his teammate. With the new upgrades set to be introduced at Imola, Norris is hopeful that the improvements will address some of these issues and enable him to perform more competitively across the weekend.
Despite his challenges, Norris remains positive about the team’s direction and development trajectory. He is confident that the engineers have listened to his feedback and have worked hard to fine-tune the car in ways that could better suit both drivers. As the season enters this critical phase, the upcoming races in Europe will be essential in determining whether Norris can mount a stronger title charge and close the gap to Piastri. All eyes will be on McLaren at Imola to see if their new package can deliver on its promise and provide Norris with the edge he needs.
