Lando Norris Hands McLaren Clear Imola D...read more

Lando Norris Hands McLaren Clear Imola Warning Despite Strong Practice Pace

Lando Norris has issued a stern warning to his McLaren team, urging them not to become complacent despite an impressive showing during Friday’s practice sessions for the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola. The British driver believes the team is “not in a comfortable place” yet, even after topping both sessions in what appeared to be a dominant display.

Norris was narrowly outpaced by his team-mate Oscar Piastri in both Free Practice 1 and 2, but the MCL39 showed significant speed and looked to be one of the most competitive packages on the grid. In FP2, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was the closest challenger, though still behind the McLarens in terms of raw pace. The session results suggested McLaren had found a strong setup for the historic Imola circuit—yet Norris was quick to downplay the early signs of dominance.

Despite the encouraging data from Friday, Norris believes that the true challenge lies ahead in qualifying and the race. He noted that McLaren has often shown strong one-lap pace on Fridays throughout the season, only for other top teams like Red Bull and Mercedes to close the gap once they turn up their performance levels during Saturday’s sessions.

“I’m pretty happy with today. It is a difficult track to get into the rhythm of things, and it is fast,” Norris explained to the media. “This is a track all about timing and getting everything perfect, which is not easy to do at the speeds we are going. But it was a fun day.”

The British driver highlighted improvements made to the car following McLaren’s recent upgrades and acknowledged the team’s positive trajectory. However, he insisted that there is more performance to unlock.

“We’ve made some improvements, and hopefully there are some more to come in qualifying. I’m sure Oscar [Piastri] will improve, and in FP2 we always look good look much better than everyone else—and then we get to qualifying and they catch up. So I don’t think we are in a comfortable place.”

Norris emphasized that the field remains highly competitive and that McLaren cannot afford to underestimate its rivals, especially with key contenders likely to unleash more speed during the decisive sessions.

“We still have work to do,” he added. “Alpine are always quick here, and I am sure Red Bull will catch up, and Mercedes will be on it when they turn their engines up. So nothing is comfortable, but it was a productive Friday.”

McLaren heads into Saturday’s qualifying session with a sense of optimism but also with a clear awareness of the challenges ahead. Norris’ comments reflect a mature approach as the team looks to build on its recent resurgence and maintain momentum in a tightly contested 2025 Formula 1 season.