Chinese Grand Prix: McLaren do not need changes and can push further, says Norris

McLaren do not need to make changes to their car and can push things even further at the Chinese Grand Prix, Lando Norris declared after his season-opening triumph in Australia.

Title favourite Norris held off four-time defending champion Max Verstappen to win the 2025 curtain-raiser in Melbourne last week, with Mercedes' George Russell in third.

After the race, Red Bull complained about McLaren's use of flexible wings that bend at high speeds to reduce drag.

Stricter tests on flexible wings will be in place ahead of Sunday's race in Shanghai, but Norris has no concerns about the team's car.

"We don't have to change anything. Ours was fine. In fact, ours was too good, and we are not pushing the limits enough," Norris said.

"Already if this new ruling was in place last weekend, we'd also have been fine.

"So it's not directed at us. It's directed at other teams, which probably means we need to push it even more."

Asked about the pressure that comes with leading the early-season drivers' standings, Norris said: "It makes no difference to me at the minute. I'm not thinking about it.

"I had one good weekend. People need to calm down a little bit. I probably won't even think of the championship until at least halfway through the year.

"We want the best all-rounded car. I think I have got a better understanding over the last few years.

"I've just said: 'Alright, give me the best car and I will adapt to what I have, even though it's not what I feel I can get most out of'.

"But I have learned to get more out of my driving and have fallen more into that philosophy of 'give me the best car, not the car I want'."

Norris goes into Sunday's race as the favourite, and Russell feels McLaren's MCL39 car could be the most dominant the sport has seen for many years.

The Mercedes driver thinks McLaren could even better the accomplishments of Red Bull, who won 21 of 22 races in the 2023 season.

"Their car should win every race, but I don't think they will win every race this year. Let's see," Russell said.

"The gap they have this year on everybody is bigger than Red Bull has ever had.

"But when Max was in that 2023 car he was pretty reliable every single lap he did, every single run in Q3, throughout qualifying, there was never really a question."

DRIVERS TO WATCH

Lando Norris – McLaren

Norris has now taken pole position and victory in two consecutive grands prix for the first time in his Formula One career, also triumphing at 2024's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He now has the chance to claim three straight victories in F1 for the very first time.

If he succeeds, he will equal John Surtees and Tony Brooks for the 11th-most race wins among British drivers in F1 history (six).

The McLaren driver is the first drivers' championship leader other than Verstappen since the Spanish Grand Prix in 2022, when the Dutchman overtook Charles Leclerc at the top of the charts.

Verstappen then led the standings at the end of 63 straight grands prix – the longest streak in the history of F1.

Norris' bid to dethrone the four-time champion is off to a strong start, and he could also help McLaren reach a team landmark this weekend.

McLaren are only 16 points away from reaching 7,000 points in their F1 history. They would be the fourth team to break this barrier in the competition after Ferrari (10,329), Red Bull (7,855) and Mercedes (7,715.5).

This will be the first sprint race weekend of the 2025 season, and McLaren secured a one-two at each of the last two sprints in 2024, Norris winning the Sao Paolo sprint and Oscar Piastri triumphing in Qatar.

George Russell – Mercedes

Having qualified in fourth, Russell was the chief beneficiary of Piastri's struggles Down Under, moving up one place to finish on the podium.

If either Russell or team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli make the top three this week, they will take Mercedes to 300 podiums in their F1 history (299 currently).

That would make them the fourth team in the competition to reach that mark after Ferrari (829), McLaren (524) and Williams (313).

Five of the last seven editions of the Chinese Grand Prix have been won by Mercedes drivers (Lewis Hamilton in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019, Nico Rosberg in 2016), though the race was not held between 2020 and 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

STANDINGS

Drivers' championship

1. Lando Norris – 25

Constructors' championship

1. McLaren – 27