Lando Norris delivers surprise McLaren advantage amid Mercedes dominance

Lando Norris has stated the intra-team battle at Mercedes could benefit McLaren if Kimi Antonelli and George Russell continue to scrap for the F1 title.

Mercedes' strong start to the year has seen it take all three victories so far, with Antonelli currently leading Russell in the drivers' standings.

McLaren has been unable to carry over its title-winning form to the start of the new campaign under a significant regulation change.

Norris, who entered the year as the reigning champion, has failed to register a podium result across the opening rounds.

With Antonelli and Russell fighting for the championship, rival teams - including McLaren - are focused on reeling in the Brackley-based squad.

When asked if he thinks the team can benefit from the Mercedes duo taking points off one another, Norris told media including RacingNews365: “Let’s hope so.

“Certainly, the more that they can battle, the better. It's been good to see.

“Kimi, it's the second year in F1, he's doing a good job it’s also cool to see.

“He’s a very nice guy, and he's performing well at the top level of F1, he's had a good few races.

“It’s good to see that he's found that extra bit of pace and battling George convincingly, which is cool.”

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Norris hoping for Verstappen-esque comeback at McLaren

McLaren has a recent history of turning around its form, having rapidly developed its way to the front of the field across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Last year, McLaren found itself under threat from Max Verstappen when Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri were battling for the championship.

Norris is hopeful it can be a repeat of the situation that occurred last year, only himself emerging as the late-season menace.

“But it [the close Mercedes fight] is a good thing for us,” Norris said. “We know we’re a little bit on the back foot at the beginning of the season.

“We certainly hope that we can catch up, and the more points they can take away from each other, the better.

“[It’s] the same as us last year and Max in a fight. Hopefully it can be a similar story, but the other way around.”