Lando Norris did not mince his words when talking about the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix, admitting he is not looking forward to it based on McLaren's historical struggles at the venue.
Norris finished sixth in the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, while his teammate, Oscar Piastri, was seventh as Mercedes dominated with George Russell winning and Lewis Hamilton second.
It was a tough weekend for McLaren, who were highly competitive in the 2024 season, which saw them win their first Formula 1 Constructors' Title since 1998.
And despite being on a run of form, winning in Mexico and Sao Paulo, Norris is wary of the challenge to come in Las Vegas this weekend, where running will be at night in cool conditions, not to mention the track layout that does not play into the strengths of McLaren's MCL39.
Facing the media in Sao Paulo, Norris was asked whether conditions in Las Vegas will hinder McLaren; he responded: "Hinder, for sure. I think it was our worst race last year, so I'm not really looking forward to it.
McLaren fourth best in Vegas?
"We've been trying to work quite hard on improving those things. We know Mercedes were incredibly strong there last year, as well as Red Bull and Ferrari. I think we were the bottom of those four.
"So yeah, we'll wait and see. Obviously, we've improved a lot of things this year, so I'm not going to be too negative about it.
"I think there's plenty to look forward to," Norris added. "We know Abu Dhabi and Qatar are ones we are looking forward to. Las Vegas just a little bit less, because they've been probably some of our weakest races over the last two years, so let's wait and see."
It may come as a surprise when Norris, in such a dominant season for McLaren, delivers a negative prediction on a Grand Prix weekend, a point which was highlighted by one of the media members.
The Briton replied: "I can say what I want. I can think what I want. I always try and be as honest as I can be. If I don't think we're going to be quick, I don't think we're going to be quick.
"And I'm not saying I'm going to be 10th. I'm just saying I think it's going to be difficult to win. We were a long way off—just go and look at the data from last year. Look at the race traces—we were miles off," Norris concluded.
Norris currently leads the 2025 F1 Drivers' Championship by 24 points from second-placed Piastri. He is 49 points clear of third-placed Max Verstappen.
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