MELBOURNE, Australia — Lando Norris says it is “short-sighted” to believe McLaren has a clear advantage over its rivals to start the Formula One season, instead anticipating a four-team fight at the front.

Lando Norris says he is “not happy” or “confident” with his McLaren F1 car despite appearing to make a strong start at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. The Briton topped first practice in Melbourne and ended up third-quickest in the second session, just over a tenth adrift of Charles Leclerc ’s pacesetting Ferrari.

Lando Norris acknowledges that McLaren start the Formula 1 season as favourites but says the view among his rivals is "short-sighted".

In the weeks before the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, back in October of 2023, McLaren CEO Zak Brown looked me square in the eye and made a straightforward declaration about the team’s driver pairing of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Australian racer cites long-term contracts for key McLaren F1 staff among "natural" reasons to stay with the team

After helping McLaren to a constructor's championship in 2024, Oscar Piastri was rewarded with a multi-year contract worth nearly $26 million per year, according to Racing News 365. The new deal replaces Piastri's contract that ran through 2026 and was set to pay him over $7 million per season.