Lando Norris pinpoints 'blame' in McLaren F1 struggles

Lando Norris believes his struggles at McLaren this year stem from both his understanding of the MCL39 car and the challenger presenting its own difficulties

Norris has won two races this year and currently sits second in the drivers' championship behind team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Piastri has enjoyed a stronger start to the campaign at the Woking-based squad, with his five victories aiding his 22-point advantage over Norris.

Norris has notably made a handful of mistakes this year, particularly in qualifying, which has given his team-mate the edge in the title fight.

When asked to weigh up the importance of his technical understanding versus his mental strength amid the battle for the championship, Norris outlined he is striving to boost both areas.

“I think there's always a bit of both, you're always trying to improve on both,” Norris told media including RacingNews365. 

“I'm certainly not perfect in either, but I think more of a sort of technical side, I'm understanding still how to get the most out of this car compared to last year's car.

“That's where most of the lap time is when I've not been happy this year, or sometimes it's been through some mistakes and things.

“But also some of the mistakes have been by the car not feeling how I wanted to and giving me the things that I need to get the most out of it.

“You can put both, it's whichever one comes first in the end of the day, but I think we both take some of the blame, in a way.

“But at the same time I'm always trying to improve on both sides. So I never think you're complete, you can be satisfied and then move on to something else.

“I think every sports person, athlete, is consistently trying to improve on both of these areas.”