Lando Norris and McLaren had shown flashes of front-running pace throughout the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend, but when it mattered in Q3 the 2025 World Champion had to settle for sixth on the grid.
Second fastest on Friday and quickest in FP3, Norris then topped Q2 with what he described as a rare ‘magical’ lap where everything came together.
But he was unable to repeat it in the crucial final session.
Team mate Oscar Piastri‘s struggles offered further evidence of the McLaren‘s difficulties, with the Australian eliminated in Q2 after qualifying 13th.
“I don’t think anything slipped away,” said Norris when asked about Q3 not working out for him. “I think just the lap I did was pretty phenomenal in the car that we have. I think it shows also with where Oscar is and the struggles, we’ve been having how difficult it is to put just a lap together in this car, so I’m pretty happy with a P6, honestly.
“You never really know what you’re going to get, and after I did a good lap in Q2, I knew I was screwed for Q3, because the chance of me repeating that lap is impossible.
“So, it’s just we’re too slow. Every now and then, I can put a magical lap together, and everyone has a bit of hope – which is not a good thing, because then we see the reality in Q3 once again.”
Norris painted a vivid picture of how difficult it is to find that perfect lap.
“You just always have to keep trying,” Norris said. “You never know when things are just going to suddenly go your way.
“Like my Q2 lap, I just had an amazing headwind in Turn 12 again, one and a half tenths, just because the car grips. The next lap, I try and go the same speed in, I lose the rear, I lose a tenth. So, I’ve got a two and a half tenths delta to my previous.
“It’s too difficult, especially when I just look at the onboards from others, it baffles me how we can be quick sometimes.
“It always feels like there’s a little bit of hope, which is also as much as I say it wasn’t a good thing, it’s a good thing at the same time that the speed can be there if things just somehow come together. But you never know when they’re going to come together.”
And Norris offered a blunt assessment when asked where McLaren were losing time to their rivals.
“Every corner,” the Brit said. “I mean, just look at the GPS. You’ll see how bad we are in Sector 1, Turn 1, Turn 2, Turn 3. It’s like two-tenths every single lap.
“If we’re two-tenths off in the first three corners, it’s impossible that you think we can even be close to the rest of the lap. I think the only corner I’m good at is Turn 7. That’s it.”
