Author Archives: PressBox

Lando Norris said defending his 2025 title looked “effectively impossible”, blaming McLaren’s inconsistent form and repeated reliability failures for wrecking his defence. Mechanical problems prevented him from starting the Chinese Grand Prix (a DNS) and forced retirements in Canada and Monaco, leaving him sixth in the standings and 98 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Norris warned McLaren may soon face grid penalties after depleting its supply of power‑unit components, but he added the team still had race‑winning pace and that a season‑long turnaround remained possible if McLaren could fix its issues.

McLaren admitted its title challenge had stalled, with team principal Andrea Stella calling recent results an “important reality check” and saying the squad needed a turnaround to stay in contention. Stella blamed a drop in race pace in Canada and Monaco on a lack of grip and insufficient aerodynamic load and detailed reliability problems across the car, including power‑unit issues in Monaco and a gearbox failure that affected Norris in Canada. Those problems produced back‑to‑back non‑finishes for Norris, while teammate Oscar Piastri managed fourth place in Monaco. Stella said technical and reliability fixes were the priority to arrest the points deficit.

Outside observers said Norris’s title chances were increasingly unlikely unless McLaren fixed its technical and reliability problems. On the Up to Speed podcast former driver David Coulthard said, “Norris isn’t going to do back-to-back world championships on the basis of what we’ve seen so far,” while Will Buxton noted Norris appeared calm and was taking rare positives when they came. Early-season trends widened the gap to rivals: Mercedes had more than double McLaren’s points and Aston Martin had completed more Grand Prix laps than McLaren, making performance and reliability the key factors in whether Norris’s defence could be revived.

George Russell set the pace in opening practice at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, posting a 1:16.363 to lead FP1 for Mercedes. He edged McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by 0.203 seconds, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third, about half a second off the pace. Max Verstappen was listed among the top runners, generally reported fourth though one account placed him lower on the timesheet.

The session saw heavy participation from junior and reserve drivers under Formula 1’s young-driver rules, with teams handing cars to six to seven rookies and substitutes. McLaren’s Leonardo Fornaroli was the quickest of the newcomers in fifth, Audi’s Paul Aron was sixth, and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson also featured near the front. Dino Beganovic took Lewis Hamilton’s car and was eighth while Arvid Lindblad and Franco Colapinto completed the top 10 in various reports. Cadillac’s Colton Herta made his FP1 debut and finished 21st. Several regulars, including Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, did not run in FP1.

Teams used the hour-long session both to assess pace and to test updates, with Ferrari running a major aerodynamic upgrade during Leclerc’s outing. The day also produced a string of technical problems and off-track moments. Williams’ Carlos Sainz stalled or was stranded in the pit lane and Luke Browning did not record a lap after an electrical or wiring loom issue on Alex Albon’s car. Piastri reported brake vibrations, Pierre Gasly said something had broken and experienced braking or possible front-suspension trouble, and Gabriel Bortoleto ran into the gravel at Turn 8, triggering yellow flags. There were several kerb-related excursions at Turn 8 for Colton Herta, Gasly and Beganovic, and one report said Verstappen suffered handling and tyre-degradation issues during the session.

Fernando Alonso said the Barcelona‑Catalunya Grand Prix could “probably” be his last visit to the circuit as he weighs his F1 future and a possible retirement. The 44‑year‑old, whose Aston Martin contract expires at the end of the season, will decide whether to continue racing after the summer. He called the weekend his 23rd Spanish Grand Prix, said he is at peace with his career and achievements, and noted he became a father earlier this year.

Alonso highlighted that the Catalunya race will rotate with Spa‑Francorchamps next season, so Barcelona is not on the 2027 calendar and is scheduled to return in 2028, with further rotation dates in 2030 and 2032. He said that possibility made the Barcelona weekend emotionally significant and that he would try to enjoy the event if it proves to be his final visit.

Alonso blamed Aston Martin’s lack of competitiveness this season rather than retirement itself and acknowledged he is not at peak pace. The team have struggled this season and scored their first point at Monaco. He said he does not expect to be fully competitive in qualifying at Barcelona, may limit his qualifying running to manage risk and expectations, and added that he considers every race this season could potentially be his last.