McLaren Racing’s Lando Norris heads into the 2025 F1 Las Vegas GP with a decent advantage at the top of the Drivers’ Standings. The Briton leads by 24 points and carries strong momentum into the final stretch of the season. After a commanding victory in Mexico, Norris’ dominant display at the São Paulo GP proved why he could secure the championship this year. However, the 26 year-old and McLaren now face one of their historically weaker circuits as the championship battle continues to intensify.
Speaking in the drivers’ press conference, Norris discussed his mindset and the pressure he faces heading into the final rounds of the season, aware of his opportunity to secure a first Drivers’ Championship. The Briton also reflected on the challenges Las Vegas has posed on the characteristics of their car in previous years.
Norris heads into Las Vegas with realistic expectations
Since F1’s return to the “Sin City”, Norris hasn’t enjoyed the strongest results there, retiring in 2023 and finishing 6th in 2024. Las Vegas also remains one of the few circuits where McLaren has yet to score a podium. Ahead of the weekend, the Briton spoke candidly about his expectations: “Well, I have to be. Apparently, I’m not allowed to say we’re not favourites anymore. So, from the last two years, it’s certainly been the hardest race of the year that we’ve had.”
“So my expectations are not to the same level as Mexico, Brazil, where we’ve been performing very well for a good amount of years. But we’ve had an excellent year and we’ve improved in places that we’ve struggled in the past.”
“So I’m certainly coming in with more confidence than in previous years, but not the same amount of confidence as going into the past few races that we’ve had. So you never know. Expectations are still high. I’m still coming here to win and to want to repeat the last few weekends that I’ve had. But I think it’s going to be trickier for sure than the last couple.”
Final stint in Vegas unlocked the answer to an unknown
Norris revealed that McLaren’s early struggles in Las Vegas forced him and the team into constant experimentation. While he avoided revealing the specifics as the title fight heightens, he admitted it took until the final stint in the race last year to identify what genuinely worked.
“I mean, because we were so bad, I just ended up trying as much stuff as I could. And it was more just – actually, I’m not going to say. I’m fighting for a lot, so I want to reveal the least amount possible. But I think we were so bad that you just get to a point where you try a lot. I mean, it’s probably not too difficult for people to figure out. But yeah, it’s a long race, a lot of laps, and we were struggling consistently with the same thing.
“So I was just experimenting with a lot – experimenting with my driving, with driving styles, approaches to the car, which is not always easy, trying to figure out how the car likes to get driven because it changes every weekend, and with the toys and things like that. So it was more… Yeah, it took us to the end of the race, the final stint, to really try and figure out what was a bit better.”
Matched their competitors’ pace
He further admitted they’d finally unlocked meaningful pace, with his final stint closely matching the Ferrari’s, Red Bull’s and Mercedes’. While the improvement came too late to influence the outcomes, Norris noted that learning gave McLaren a clearer development direction for this season.
“We found pace. Like, even if you look at the race trace now, you can quite easily see the final stint from me was a lot more in line with Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes. I think Lewis’ last stint last year was pretty incredible. So we’re still quite a long way off what the Mercedes was, but we looked more raceable, let’s say. It was just too little, too late. I think we’ve learned from that.
“Doesn’t mean this year’s going to be mega, but it’s certainly given us a direction to go in. So it’s more experimenting with different things. But I’m not going to tell you. So, yeah, you can try to figure it out.”
Maximising each weekend moving forward
Only Norris, Oscar Piastri and reigning World Champion Max Verstappen now remain in the hunt for the title. While the 26 year-old has enjoyed two great consecutive weekends now, he isn’t getting comfortable with his 24 point lead. He admitted he isn’t entirely sure what to expect, noting the big points swing between Mexico and São Paulo. Although the Briton feels he’s been performing at an exceptional level recently, he acknowledged how difficult it is to sustain that standard.
“I don’t know. I think because of the weekend that I had last time out and I don’t know what the points swing was prior to Brazil and then post-Brazil – or even if you say prior to Mexico and then post-Brazil – it was a lot of points. And I feel like I’ve very much been on top of a lot of things the last few weekends, but it’s a very difficult level to perform at all the time. And I have incredible drivers that I’m up against. So, you know, my expectation for myself is to try and perform at the same level, but that’s not always a guarantee.”
Focus remains on taking each session as it comes
In continuation, the Briton noted how quickly fortunes can change in Formula 1, whether it is through luck or being outperformed. Despite feeling slightly more in control of the title fight, many factors remain out of his hands. He explained that the only way to handle the pressure is to approach the weekend session by session, treating Vegas no differently from his weekend in São Paulo.
Norris said: “And I know that it can also just change very quickly – whether it’s because you get unlucky or whether you’re not performing at the perfect level and the guys I’m up against can perform at that high level. Things can change very easily. So, of course, I feel maybe a little bit more in control, but at the same time, you’re not in control of any of these situations.
“And I’m not thinking of it apart from just going out and taking one session at a time, maximizing FP1 and then FP2. And as long as I treat it like that, it doesn’t… I don’t feel like I’m in a different position to what I was in Brazil. From the exterior, it’s clear that it looks that way. But inside, I think it’s treated as completely normal and just keep going as I am.”
Finding consistency in the car
This weekend marks Norris’ 150th Formula 1 start, equaling David Coulthard’s record for the most race starts by a McLaren driver. Now in his seventh year with the team, adaptability remains an important factor every year.
Norris said: “You know, I think it’s a challenge for everyone. One thing I’ve learned is everyone complains about the car – no matter if you’re in the quickest one or the slowest one, you’re at the front of the grid, back of the grid. We complain now, and we have consistently the best car. Yeah, like, everyone always complains whether you’re first or last. That’s just what we do – we do that very well as drivers. That’s our specialty probably more than anything. But yeah, I think a car can be very quick, and can always be very quick, it’s just sometimes very difficult to kind of put it in the line that it needs to be.”
He explained how the team has improved the window of drivability and added that while what works one weekend can fail the next, he’s now quicker at understanding what the car needs.
“And we’ve certainly opened up that window of workability and drivability this season, and that’s what’s allowed us to be a lot more consistent at a lot more places. But it’s still very difficult. And like I said, it changes a lot, track to track. One weekend I have to drive like this, the next weekend… I mean, I win this race, maybe the next weekend I try and do the same thing because it worked, and I’m way off the pace and just clueless for a minute in terms of understanding how I’ve got to do it. So now I’m able to judge things better and work these processes out faster.”
Vegas presents a unique challenge with low grip
Explaining the importance of adaptability, Norris continued: “But I mean, Vegas again is just a whole different ballgame in terms of cold, low grip. I always struggle a lot with front graining. I feel like I’m probably worse on the grid with it. I’m definitely better now – I think I probably used to be the worst on the grid. I hate it, I hate understeer, I hate the front not working – those kinds of things. So, and that’s something that can happen a lot here as well and has done in the past. So, you know, as long as I can combat those things – I know those things very clearly, I know I have to work on them.”
Norris explained that starting the weekend on the right note is key to building confidence. With Vegas’ low downforce and long straights, consistency is difficult, though changes to the car this year could help McLaren perform better than expected.
“And once you start the weekend like that, then you can be more confident. But, like, if I go out tomorrow and FP1, FP2 and I grain the fronts, I’m not going to be very happy when I come in. And you’re going to ask me in the pen tomorrow, and I’m going to probably say it’s been a crap day. So, you know, there’s all these things that I have as the expectations of it, but this is a different track altogether.
“Low downforce, long straights, difficult braking zones, difficult to be consistent – and that’s never a nice thing in our car. But we changed a lot of stuff on the car this year, and it might be that we turn out to be the best. So we’ll wait and see.”
Remaining focused despite the pressure
Norris isn’t succumbing to the pressure of the title fight. Despite gaining 58 points over his closest competitor in the last six races, the Briton explained how his mindset remains the same moving forwards.
The 26-year-old said: “No. I mean, what’s done me so well the last few weekends is by going flat, staying out of trouble, staying out of the chaos behind. It’s almost a safer bet in terms of pushing. So I think it’s not the right mindset to have. I come here this weekend to try and win. I’ll go to Qatar to try and win. I still treat it as if I’m not in a championship – I’m just here to try and win this weekend, and that’s the mentality I’ll have.
“Of course, when you’re on track, you make different decisions depending on risk levels and things like that. But I feel like my judgement of that generally is pretty good and pretty accurate. So I’m happy. Yeah, for me, it’s another race weekend. Nothing changes because of whatever points I’ve got.”
The challenges of a cold Vegas
Norris highlighted that the cold conditions and potential rain this weekend will make tyre management and grip particularly tricky, especially on a tight street circuit like Las Vegas. He expects a tough challenge with little room for error but remains excited for the race.
“Yeah. I just – I mean, it’s cold. I think that’s the biggest thing. It’s cold, same as previous years. So just like I said before – graining and things on tyres is not going to be an easy thing to understand.
From what I’m aware of, everything is just going to rain on Friday – maybe a bit into Saturday… oh, crap, Thursday. I get so confused. Thursday and a bit into Friday for maybe FP3. But I think Saturday in qualifying should be fine. So I don’t think it’ll affect us too much.”
He added: “I think it’ll be an incredibly difficult track in the rain – yeah, pretty nasty, I think. It’s going to be a hell of a challenge. Obviously not a lot of room for error – quite tricky and quite quick in terms of being a street circuit. You’ve got the white lines, all the paint and stuff, which is never – it’s pretty horrible at times when you’re in the car feeling these kinds of things. So yeah. It will be a pretty insane challenge, I think, if it stays wet – especially if it doesn’t dry very quickly either because of the temperature. So excited for both, but I prefer if it’s dry.”
