Norris baffled by McLaren’s flashes of speed after Mexico qualifying

After qualifying sixth in Mexico City, three tenths behind pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris said his McLaren was difficult to drive. Comparing it with rivals’ onboard footage left him baffled by its flashes of speed: “It baffles me how we can be quick sometimes.”

Norris said a headwind at Turn 12 helped him gain 0.15 seconds on his Q2 lap; when he tried to carry the same speed through the next half of the lap, he lost the rear and a tenth.

He also pointed to team-mate Oscar Piastri’s early Q2 exit as an indication of how difficult it was to put a lap together. In the run-up to Mexico, McLaren had gone four grands prix without a podium after a strong surge around the summer break.

Norris was nevertheless happy with sixth. After a good Q2 lap, he said, he knew a repeat in Q3 was impossible.