Lando Norris, one mistake too many in Saudi Arabia

We always come back to the same debate. Does Lando Norris have what it takes to bear the status of McLaren leader and world championship leader? As more Grand Prix races pass, more questions arise.

After his mistake in Australia in the rain – which we can forgive – his errors in qualifying in China, Japan, and now in Saudi Arabia, the Briton doesn’t seem able to handle the pressure. And that’s without mentioning his underperformance in Bahrain.

Although he has the best car on the grid, he is unable to extract the best from this single-seater and take advantage of its performance to distance himself from the competition. Just look at when McLaren was in the middle of the pack, Lando Norris was much cleaner and more at ease.

In Jeddah, during Q3, driver #4 made the mistake not to make. Going out on his first attempt, he pushed way too hard. He could have eased off a bit to secure a first reference and then gone all out in the following minutes. As we know, in Q3, risks are much more present and it’s important to secure a first reference. If his risks hadn’t led him into the wall, we would have hailed him as a hero. True. But for Lando Norris, it’s too many blunders in the moments that count.

And compared to Max Verstappen?

Next to him, his teammate remains very discreet and accumulates points, confidence, and good results. There is no doubt that Oscar Piastri can leave with the first place in the standings this Sunday evening. Even though overtaking is easy in Jeddah, Ferrari and Mercedes won’t leave the door open for Lando Norris, who will start tenth. The opportunity to close the gap in the championship is perfect under these conditions.

We talk about the Brit, but the Max Verstappen case is even more interesting. He can be targeted, as he too has made mistakes in important moments, like everyone else. But the Dutchman has more often been clean. He went into the wall on this same Corniche circuit in 2021, but afterward, he delivered: second place before going on to beat Lewis Hamilton in the title fight. Can Lando Norris replicate such a performance? For now, the answer leans towards no.

In 2025, the Red Bull driver does not have the best car. Far from it. But his talent – which is beyond question – allows him to compensate for the flaws of his car. His pole position at Suzuka this Saturday afternoon proves it. The four-time world champion is indeed in the race to claim a fifth world crown. His main competitors are, of course, the McLaren drivers, but if Lando Norris continues on this trajectory, the duel might narrow from three men to two… Unless Mercedes and Ferrari get a bit closer to the battle for victory.

Sport is cruel. We are harsh with those who fail and support those who succeed. We’d like to be lenient with Lando Norris, but his actions on the track do not go in his favor. It’s up to him to reverse the trend and prove the increasingly critical observers wrong.