Rand Norris has revealed that McLaren’s cars are forcing them to drive “a different way” from Saudi Arabia’s Grand Prix this weekend.
Norris leads the driver championship three points from McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and eight points from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, but he’s not completely satisfied with the car.
After the roller coaster drove to third place in Bahrain, the British driver said he was “not close to anywhere” to his abilities compared to last year.
“Sometimes I try to learn and learn differently. I have a different approach to things for better performance,” Norris said in Jeddah on Thursday.
“I’m forced to drive in different ways and different ways that I’m not used to, and that’s completely unconventional for me. There’s no guarantee.
“I’m going to go outside, things are going to click in place and I’m going to feel great all of a sudden.
“But I think I just understand things better. I hope it gives me more confidence, but I feel confident in us as a team trying to make the most of the car.”
Norris took a 23-point lead over Piastri after the first round. However, Piastri defeated his deficit with victory in China and Bahrain.
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Relive all the highs and lows from Randnoris’ races in Bahrain Granpuri.
Norris took a break after Bahrain to avoid thinking about Formula 1, but inevitably thought about the “difficulties” he struggled with.
The 24-year-old didn’t elaborate on the areas that needed to be improved, but he felt he wasn’t extracting enough from the car.
“You can’t drive like last year. It’s weird to say it in the seventh season of Formula 1, as you know I’m good at,” he said.
“But I’m still learning things. The car definitely differs in how it goes. I have to adapt a lot in an uncomfortable way, but I probably understand some of these reasons a little better, so I probably have less pressure.
“I think I’m more embracing the struggles and challenges I have in that moment.”
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Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have different views on how Bahrain Granpurin went towards McLaren
Norris: My current driving style is not suitable for cars at all
Norris took eight pole positions for most of the driver’s pole positions last year, but only won the pole at the 2025 Australian season opener.
McLaren driver, who has the best results in Saudi Arabia, pointed out qualifying when explaining his weaknesses after the fourth round.
“At the end of last season, my level of confidence was very high, not for other reasons, but I just understood the car. I knew how to drive it, and I could go out and do things perfectly,” he said.
“Now, I hate how I don’t know how to go out and play on qualifying laps because my driving method isn’t the right thing to do, and I hate it.
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Randororis and George Russell take a closer look at race footage in the cooldown room following Bahrain Granpuri
“Last year, if I asked, ‘Are you sure you’d be going to qualify,’ I would have been much more likely to say ‘yes’ than I do now.
Qualifying in Jeddah is one of the highlights of the calendar as it is high speed and risk vs. reward due to its proximity to the wall.
Piastri is the driver of form after a dominant victory in Bahrain, predicting that Verstappen this weekend could be a bigger factor.
“China was a truck that was very front-restricted [like Jeddah] And I’m not too worried because we were still very fast,” he said.
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Ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri says the championship rankings are “moving in the right direction.”
“With such a high level of grip, it has saved us over the last few years and this year could save others.
“I expect it to be pretty tight. It’s a layout and track with similar cornering speeds in Suzuka, so we’ll see if Red Bull is back in the fight.
Sky Sports F1 Saudi Arabia’s GP Schedule
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments held at the Jeddah Cornish Circuit
Friday, April 18th
10:50am: F2 Practice 12pm: F1 Academy Practice 2pm: Saudi Arabia GP Practice 1 (session starts at 2pm) 3.55pm: F2 Quarifying 4.40pm: Team Boss Press Conference 5.45pm: Saudi Arabia GP Practice 2 (session starts at 6pm)
Saturday, April 19th
1.15pm: F1 Academy Race 12.05pm: Saudi Arabia’s GP Practice 3 (sessions start at 2pm) *4.10pm: F2 Sprint 5.10pm: Saudi Arabia’s GP Qualifier Build-up 6pm: Saudi Arabia’s GP Qualifier
Sunday, April 20th
1pm: F1 Academy Race 22.20pm: F2 Function Race 4.30pm: Saudi Arabia’s GP Build-Up: Grand Prix Sunday 6pm: Saudi Arabia’s Grand Prix *8pm: Saudi Arabia’s GP Reaction: Checkered Flag
* Live at Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 will complete the live show at Sky Sports F1 with the first triple header of 2025 in Jeddah and at Saudi Arabia’s Grand Prix this weekend. Stream Sky Sports Now – No Contract, Cancel Anytime
