McLaren arrived at the Chinese Grand Prix expecting to continue their strong start to the 2025 season. The sprint race didn’t go as planned as Lewis Hamilton won. However, in the main race, McLaren dominated after securing a 1-2 finish.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for the Papaya team, however. Oscar Piastri led from the start and never looked in trouble of losing the lead. Teammate Lando Norris looked to be coasting home to second place until a late brake issue almost cost him his position. And now McLaren has revealed the cause.
McLaren reveals diagnosis for Lando Norris’s brake issue
On lap 50 of the Chinese Grand Prix, Lando Norris described his brake pedal feeling ‘long’. McLaren notified Norris there was an issue with his brakes and for the final two laps, the team said the problem was critical, meaning he had to lift and coast to finish the race. After the race, team principal Andrea Stella revealed the problem to the media.
Stella said: “We understand what the problem is, which I can’t disclose for IP reasons. But fundamentally, it had to do with a leak in one of the components, not in the brake line, but somewhere else, and the main action required was to limit the peak brake pressure.
Lando Norris Admits He Was ‘Lucky’ to Finish the Chinese GP After Brake Scare
“You could brake, but very, very gently. So what was 100-metre braking, became 200 metres, and towards the end, it was 300 metres because Lando needed to lift the throttle, coast to a certain speed and then apply very gentle brake pressure. That was to avoid the leak becoming too fast.”
Norris described the failure as his “nightmare” with George Russell closing in on the final lap. However, he managed to complete the race, just edging out the Mercedes driver. That could be a key result in the championship as getting results on the board early is key while McLaren has the fastest car. The others are trying to catch up and if they do, this result could be the difference in winning a world championship.
Lando Norris says he’s ready to fight McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri for the world championship
McLaren is currently the top class of the field and has dominated the opening two races this season. As it stands, the two McLaren drivers will be fighting it out for the world championship this season. Piastri’s win at the Chinese Grand Prix moves the Australian two within ten points of Norris, but the Brit says he’s ready for the inter-team battle.
After the race, Norris said: “We were free to race. We’re both excited – probably nervous and excited at the same time – as I’m sure the team will be. But we’re ready. As much as we work together and we have a good time and enjoy ourselves, we both know we want to try and beat each other and show who’s best.
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“And that’s inevitable. So there’s no point trying to hide away from that fact or make something of it. We’re two competitors who both want to win.”
McLaren let their drivers race but with ‘papaya rules’. This ensures they can race safely without damaging each other’s cars. Last season, they raced each hard at Monza on the first lap which cost Norris a place to Charles Leclerc. But generally, the McLaren drivers have raced each other fairly.
The difference this season is they are racing each other for the championship. McLaren’s rivals have to play catch up, and by the time they do, the championship could already be out of sight. With this in mind, will the McLaren duo continue to race fairly?
During the 2014-16 seasons, friends Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg had the fastest car on the grid at Mercedes. As teammates, their friendship turned ugly as the pair clashed multiple times as they fought for the championships. McLaren has to make sure this doesn’t happen to their drivers, or it could cost them the constructors championship.
