McLaren found sweet spot. But it has Achilles heel

Norris warns of future struggles  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ View in browser View in browser ARTICLES MAGAZINE SHOP DATABASE SHOP FORMULA 1 McLaren found sweet spot in Australian GP. But its car has Achilles heel Mark Hughes McLaren had the fastest car at the 2025 Australian GP and found the elusive perfect tyre balance. But Lando Norris still had his work cut out to win — and warned that the car will struggle later this season         On raw performance and a straightforward race, this would have been a comfortable McLaren 1-2. Just as in qualifying. Lando Norris's pole would likely have bought him the victory, but Oscar Piastri was on much the same pace, maybe even slightly better. But of course it wasn't a straightforward race and Norris had many moments of jeopardy to emerge from in taking the win. Some of them came from Piastri, some from the treacherous conditions of a race which started on inters but on a windy day with rain always threatening. Some of it came from Max Verstappen's Red Bull who came close to ambushing the faster McLaren near the end. READ MORE PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES F1 Adam Cooper 'We need a better way to communicate' - how Hamilton radio issues added to Ferrari struggle Ferrari will improve communications after Lewis Hamilton's sharp exchanges with new F1 race engineer Riccardo Adami at the Australian Grand Prix. But there's much more than just radio messages to fix READ MORE F1 Chris Medland Ben Sulayem on back foot as Thai GP edges closer: what you missed from Australian GP F1 looked to the future at the 2025 Australian GP, with the leaders of next year's Cadillac team on the grid; F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali extending contract and agreeing a new commercial rights deal with teams, plus Thai visitors, planning to bid for a race READ MORE F1 Chris Medland Ben Sulayem on back foot as Thai GP edges closer: what you missed from Australian GP F1 looked to the future at the 2025 Australian GP, with the leaders of next year's Cadillac team on the grid; F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali extending contract and agreeing a new commercial rights deal with teams, plus Thai visitors, planning to bid for a race READ MORE F1 Dominic Tobin What happened in the Australian Grand Prix: rain claims big F1 names as Lando fends off Max Lando Norris claimed victory over Max Verstappen in an action-packed 2025 Australian Grand Prix that saw rookies and world champions alike struggle in wet weather; Oscar Piastri go off from second; and tense radio messages from Lewis Hamilton READ MORE F1 Adam Cooper Brutal F1 reality for rookies: qualifying bites hard ahead of wet Australian GP Qualifying bit hard for most of 2025's F1 rookies, who faced trying to recover their weekends in a wet Australian Grand Prix. Here's how they were placed ahead of the race READ MORE F1 Adam Cooper Brutal F1 reality for rookies: qualifying bites hard ahead of wet Australian GP Qualifying bit hard for most of 2025's F1 rookies, who faced trying to recover their weekends in a wet Australian Grand Prix. Here's how they were placed ahead of the race READ MORE Connect with us We're also available on Update your preferences Control your Motor Sport experience by selecting the content you wish to receive and stay up to date. UPDATE NOW Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy Motor Sport Magazine, 18-20 Rosemont Road, London, NW3 6NE  Company no. 05471049, Vat no. 871 544 60