McLaren’s Lando Norris says Red Bull should complain less, do a better job

SAKHIR, Bahrain – Red Bull should complain less about other teams and focus more on doing a better job with their own, said McLaren’s Formula One championship leader Lando Norris.

Norris goes into this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix a point clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, winner in Japan last weekend, after three rounds.

McLaren ended Red Bull’s reign as world champions last season, although Verstappen took his fourth successive drivers’ title, and there has been plenty of talk about where their speed is coming from.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has pointed to a coming technical directive, clamping down on front-wing flex, as a potential game changer from Race 9.

But Norris dismissed that, telling British media: “We’re all fully within the rules. We’re doing a good job. Red Bull have had plenty of time to do the same thing as us and they’re not.”

“It is more that they should do a better job rather than keep complaining about things,” added the Briton, who was runner-up to Verstappen in 2024.

“We respect the FIA doing what they’re doing and we’re happy that they keep trying to correct things because we don’t want anyone outside of those rules, but the last ones didn’t affect us.

“I don’t know if the new ones will or not, but there are plenty of things that Red Bull do that also push the limits just as much. So we can also play that game, but... we focus on ourselves rather than complaining about others.”

He said people who judged from online videos were “a bit clueless”.

“How do they know it’s the rear wing that’s flexing?” he asked. “They don’t, it could be the whole car. So, you know, people can just come up with what they want, but really they have absolutely no idea.”

Norris has finished second in his last two races, after winning the opener in Australia. In Japan, he tried to pass Verstappen on the grass at the pit-lane exit in a move that ultimately failed.

McLaren were also criticised for not being aggressive enough on strategy, with two cars against one Red Bull – Verstappen’s new teammate Yuki Tsunoda being as far off the pace as predecessor Liam Lawson.

Norris said it was a balance in terms of when to attack and when to hold back. In retrospect, he might have wanted to do things differently but the result might have been the same.

“Sometimes in a car, you want to be more aggressive and the team tries to calm you down, sometimes the team is on the safer approach and you want to be more aggressive,” he said.

“Last weekend, maybe I would have liked to have been a bit more aggressive. I might have got past, I might not have. I might have lost more time and got undercut. No things are guaranteed and there are reasons we do what we do sometimes.”

Meanwhile, the governing FIA said on April 11 that teams and manufacturers are committed to Formula One’s new engine era from 2026 and will continue to discuss future options amid speculation about an eventual return to V10 or V8 engines using sustainable fuel.

The sport is set to continue next season with 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid power units, but using a far more powerful electrical component than currently and running on fully sustainable fuel.

Formula One has also been considering a possible return, also powered by sustainable fuel and perhaps some way down the road, to the naturally aspirated V8 or V10 engines whose noise is missed by many.

A meeting of stakeholders at the Bahrain Grand Prix to discuss present and future power-unit direction was “constructive”, the FIA said in a statement.

The meeting was attended by representatives of Audi, Ferrari, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mercedes, Red Bull and Sauber.

The FIA added that whatever future engine “road map” was decided on, the governing body would support teams and engine manufacturers in ensuring containment of costs, taking environmental considerations into account and acting in the sport’s best interests.

Sauber principal Jonathan Wheatley, whose team will become Audi next year, told reporters the meeting had the best interests of Formula One at heart.

Meanwhile, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri grabbed pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix after topping the qualifying session on April 12, with Mercedes’ George Russell second and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third.

Kimi Antonelli was fourth in the other Mercedes, with McLaren’s championship leader Norris sixth. Red Bull’s Verstappen, who won last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, was seventh. REUTERS