Norris names biggest McLaren weakness ahead of new F1 season

Lando Norris believes McLaren's balance problems with the rear of its F1 car are its "biggest and clearest" limitation heading into the new season, but feels there is an opportunity for the team.

Norris and McLaren go into the 2025 campaign as respective title favourites following a strong pre-season test in Bahrain, which included a stunning race simulation from the Briton.

However, the MCL39 appeared to struggle with balance at times, with Norris having a few moments of oversteer, including one at Turn 4 which forced him to engage reverse to get back on the track. 

Despite the apparent weakness, Norris feels it is a golden opportunity for the team to focus in and put all its attention on this one sore point.

"It is a bit of both," Norris told NBC News when asked if McLaren's balance problems could be a problem or a strength. 

"We've still been quick, so it's just as drivers, we're always complaining of something, we always want to improve in every area, whether it's the rear of the car or the front of the car or the whole thing. We're always exploring the limits.

"At the minute, our biggest and most clear limitations have been the rear of the car, which is good and bad. 

"It's bad because it makes it quite tricky at times, it makes it quite unpredictable, but that's my job to try and get on top of it. 

"But it's also a place where we can just solely focus as a team on the car and for developments into the future. 

"We can really just try and focus on that, that one area, so there are pros and cons of it, positives and negatives, but of course, we'll try and make the most of what we got."