Norris feels ‘nowhere near’ his best as Formula 1 title contest heats up inside McLaren

Lando Norris may be top of the F1 standings but he feels like he’s driving “nowhere near” his best and can’t work out why.
After placing third Sunday at the Bahrain Grand Prix — won by his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri — Norris said he felt far more confident last year, when he lost out on the drivers’ title to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
“I’m confident that I have everything I need and I’ve got what it takes,” Norris said. “I have no doubt about that, that I’m good enough, but something is just not clicking with me in the car.”
Norris, who qualified sixth for Sunday’s race, saw Piastri close to within three points of him in the standings.
“As soon as you’re not gelling (with the car), then you’re going to be in issues, and that’s what I have at the moment,” Norris said.
Even though he’s still leading and won the season-opening Grand Prix in Australia last month, Norris said he hasn’t felt comfortable all year with McLaren’s car — widely considered the fastest on the grid.
Last year, “I knew every single corner, everything that was going to happen with the car, how it was going to happen.

I felt on top of the car. This year could not have felt more opposite so far,” Norris said.
“Even in Australia, I won the race but never felt comfortable, never felt confident.