Lando Norris Cautious Despite Leading Saudi Arabian GP ; the performance is…. read more
Lando Norris led the second practice session of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Friday, but the McLaren driver admitted he isn’t entirely confident in their advantage heading into the weekend. Despite the strong showing, Norris said that the performance gap between McLaren and their competitors isn’t as large as he would prefer.
Norris topped the more significant FP2 session, held under cooler evening conditions, which better represent the conditions drivers will face in qualifying and the race. He also placed second in the earlier FP1 session. Yet, his remarks after the sessions reflected a tone of caution rather than celebration.
“At the minute, we feel confident, but the others are not far behind,” Norris commented. “I was probably hoping for a bigger gap than what we had today. We know we’re fast, and we know we have a great car, but it’s certainly not comfortable — not as comfortable as what we would like.”
Norris is trying to bounce back from a tough weekend in Bahrain, where he started sixth on the grid but received a five-second time penalty for being out of position at the start. Despite that setback, he managed to recover and finish third, showing the potential of the McLaren MCL39. However, the car’s characteristics have forced him to change his driving style, something that remains a work in progress.
“This track is always chaotic — it’s so quick with walls everywhere. There are always a lot of near misses,” Norris said, describing the nature of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. “Today was more about improving my driving and working on myself than adjusting the car. It was a good day overall — productive, and I’ve gained some confidence and a better feeling. So I think I’ve taken a good step forward in the direction I wanted.”
While Norris made headlines with his FP2-topping performance, his teammate Oscar Piastri also delivered a solid showing. Piastri, who sits just three points behind Norris in the championship standings and has already secured two wins this season, was similarly upbeat about McLaren’s overall pace but stressed there’s more to be done.
“It was a decent day. The pace felt good, and I was fairly comfortable,” Piastri said. “There are a few corners I need to tidy up a bit for tomorrow, but overall it felt like a strong day. It’s not been perfect, but we’re in a good place and feeling positive.”
Both McLaren drivers emphasized the importance of continuing to work hard and focus on improvement rather than getting carried away with Friday’s results. Although the team appeared competitive in both practice sessions, the field behind them is close, and the risk of being caught by rivals in qualifying is very real.
The team will now turn its attention to Saturday’s qualifying session, where the true picture of performance will begin to take shape. Norris and Piastri both indicated that while the base setup is solid, small improvements could be the difference between pole position and a midfield start — especially at a tight street circuit like Jeddah where precision is everything.
With high speeds, limited run-off areas, and the constant threat of yellow flags or red flags, Saturday’s qualifying promises to be as intense as ever. For McLaren, the key will be converting their promising practice pace into a strong grid position and maintaining that advantage through what is expected to be another unpredictable race on Sunday.
While McLaren fans will be encouraged by Friday’s results, the team is keeping its expectations grounded, knowing full well that in Formula 1, nothing is guaranteed — especially under the lights in Saudi Arabia.
