Lando Norris saw his performance drop in the Formula 1 standings in Miami after dominating the Sprint. The McLaren driver finished only fourth on the grid for the main race.
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The contrast drew attention after Norris secured the Sprint pole on Friday and won decisively on Saturday morning. Hours later, however, the Briton was behind Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, and pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli.
Norris admitted difficulties with the car but pointed to the rivals’ improvement as the main reason. “I think we still did a good job. I just think the others did a very bad job yesterday and today they did what they should,” he said after the session.
The driver also cited different conditions compared to Friday as a determining factor. “Today was more complicated with the car, with the wind and the temperature. Maybe the car wasn’t working as well, and I was struggling a bit more,” he explained, highlighting that there were no significant setup changes.
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Additionally, Norris faced technical problems during qualifying, including power usage failures. “We had more problems with power usage. I started my last lap with less power for some reason. I was already compromised from the start,” he revealed.
Despite the below-expected result, the Briton downplayed the impact and reinforced the balance between the teams. “We’re not very far, it’s a matter of two or three tenths. It’s not a huge difference. I think the others improved and we had more difficulties,” he added.
Norris also highlighted that McLaren was underestimated after Friday’s performance. “I don’t think they gave enough credit to what we did yesterday. We were clearly fast, but Mercedes and Red Bull were already showing strength. It’s no surprise,” he concluded.
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