Lando Norris admitted he underestimated Red Bull’s pace following their second victory of the season at Imola.
Max Verstappen won Sunday’s race by six seconds from Norris. He pulled out that lead over the final 10 laps while Norris passed Oscar Piastri for second.Norris, who started fourth and passed George Russell early in the race, doubted he could have beaten the Red Bull.
“It’s probably the best result I thought we could really achieve today,” he said. “I probably just didn’t expect Red Bull to be quite as quick as they were.
“I’m happy with second. From fourth, it was a good race. But Max was too fast today.”
McLaren arrived at Imola having dominated the previous race in Miami. However Norris said their car was clearly not as competitive on a track which had more high-speed corners.
“It didn’t really feel great anywhere, to be honest,” he said. “It didn’t feel wonderful to drive.
“But sometimes it doesn’t and you’re just quick. So it’s a little bit difficult to say.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
“It’s just a very bumpy track. A lot of these high-speed corners, where we seem to maybe struggle a bit comparing to the Red Bulls, that’s where we’ve suffered the whole season so far, the high-speed corners. So we have to work in that area, and maybe that’s proved to hurt us a little bit more this weekend.”
While the McLarens were able to pass Verstappen when he started from pole position in Miami, Norris said his rival’s race pace was much better today.
“We said from the beginning that we have to keep working hard. Max has out-qualified us several times, and their pace just converted today onto Sunday.
“Sometimes they’ve been ahead, but their pace on Sunday has not been too strong. They’ve maybe worked on some things, and their pace was better today. That’s the price we pay for not being quick enough.”
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories - and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
- Antonelli was tiring from home race at Imola attention by Friday – Wolff
- Ferrari struggling to recreate set-up which “worked well” in Shanghai – Hamilton
- Verstappen told Red Bull to use Tsunoda before “hold him up” call
- ‘Saturdays have been mine for years but for some reason it’s drifted away’ – Norris
- “Plan C?”: Why McLaren only got their strategy right for one driver at Imola
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
19th May 2025, 8:47
Norris always seems to carefully avoid saying how well Verstappen has done by just saying that Red Bull is a better car. Although at least he did say Max was too fast this time. I don’t believe for a moment that Red Bull were better than McLaren this weekend. McLaren were just not as dominant as before and it’s all down to just how good Verstappen is that he can get close. While Verstappen seemed to have a lucky race, he had earned the win before any luck came his way and almost certainly would have won without either the VSC or SC.
Matthijs (@matthijs)
19th May 2025, 9:29
Indeed, but it goes both ways. When McLaren wins, Verstappen will argue they had the best car. But I have no doubts that Verstappen genuinly believes he is the best driver, so when he loses it must be the car. And nowadays I think he is right.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
19th May 2025, 14:22
@thegianthogweed Norris did get a bit defensive at times last year on this point, though to be fair the media and online discourse did seem to imply that Norris was driving a rocketship, while Max was running circles around him in a lawnmower. I would agree that the 2024 McLaren had a slight edge over the Redbull over the course of the season, but only a slight one. Redbull had a much bigger advantage in the first 5-6 races over the rest of the field than McLaren did for the bulk of the season, as evidenced by Perez comfortably picking up P2/P3s early in the season.
David
19th May 2025, 8:51
Verstappen’s pace was very good, a match for the McLarens (because neither Lando nor Oscar could close the gap).
With a better start and more patience on the first tyre stop it could easily have gone Oscar’s way.
Lando was never in with a shot at the win after qualifying off the front row.
We still have a close championship ahead – Max vs. the McLarens. Should be a good one.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
19th May 2025, 11:55
Might not be. This race was extremely atypical. HAM was following ANT within 1/2 a second for a long long time and the tires never really went off.
Have to feel for George though, it looks like his team is HAMming him in favor of promoting ANT.
Really hoping Mercedes power falls through the basement next year and Wolff leaves F1 shortly after.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
19th May 2025, 12:53
SO you’re a big fan of Hamilton, Toto and Mercedes then. Be curious to know why you are so wishing for their downfall, seems sort of personal but it cant be because you dont know them at all.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
19th May 2025, 15:25
Toto and Mercedes are the worse thing to happen to F1 ever. And I don’t really hate on the drivers even though they are making ‘good’ money.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
19th May 2025, 15:27
watching Toto’s confidence fall in to small tiny pieces would be a god send.
Coventry Climax
19th May 2025, 14:17
Rats are the first to leave, but also the first to return, if the ship didn’t completely sink after all.
Just ask Briatore about that.
Coventry Climax
19th May 2025, 10:29
The ‘underestimating’ are not Norris’ words.
With the cars both teams took to this circuit, this weekend, ‘I underestimated him’ sounds like he could have still done something about it, which I doubt – and he as well, given his talk about bumpiness and high speed corners.
His words were he didn’t expect them to be this quick, which is a different meaning.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
19th May 2025, 12:58
Max doesnt make many mistakes and his flaws only show themself when he’s facing a faster driver as he did in the run in in 2021 with Lewis. I thought Piastri might have his measure and get under his skin but Piastri blinked first at the weekend and Lando is in a great line of British sportsman who seem to make everything traumatic for them and their fans, from Mansell to Henman and Murray to the English football team, theres no Federer glide.
Its turning into a belter of a championship and as the ludicrous number of GPs left reduces towards single figures we can expect more mistakes and fireworks
osnola
19th May 2025, 21:40
it seems you missed a lot of the races that year ;)
Only after the engine change in Brazil Lewis car suddenly was a lot faster.
In 21 Max got a lot of bad luck DNFs and damage ( like the Bottas Bowlin Contest)
In fact during the year max was the better, faster and more reliable driver. That why his championship that yeas was so deserved.
Boomerang
19th May 2025, 13:05
The title should be: “Norris “didn’t expect Max to be as quick as they were””
AlanD
19th May 2025, 13:18
Very much agree. Tsunoda in the second Red Bull wasn’t making it look that fast at all. Usually, when you hae a great car, it flatters the second driver. The pace at this race was all down to Max. I was glad to see him make such a clean pass at the start, one that was all about skill, and no accusations of dive bombing down the inside. I was also glad to see that Piastri didn’t try to force him off. Good driving by both drivers and no arguments or controversies.
MichaelN
19th May 2025, 14:31
The Red Bull is a very fast, very good car. It’s far from being “all” down to Verstappen. But it is difficult to drive, which is a weakness, and it’s thus not really a surprise that Red Bull’s recent set of drivers hasn’t measured up. They are, at best, thoroughly mediocre.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
19th May 2025, 13:39
Let me guess, the Red Bull rocket showed up again after Brazil 2024 :-).
Armchair Expert (@armchairexpert)
20th May 2025, 8:55
Norris underperformance watch (will keep it updated throughout the year):
-China sprint – P6 instead of P1 in sprint quali, P8 instead of P1 in sprint, 7 points lost, +1 point for Max
-China race – P3 instead of P1 in quali, P2 instead of P1 in race, 7 points lost
-Japan race – P2 instead of P1 in quali, P2 instead of P1 in race, 7 points lost, +7 points for Max
-Bahrain race – P6 instead of P1 in quali, P3 instead of P1 in race, 10 points lost
-Saudi Arabia race – P10 and crash instead of P1 in quali, P4 instead of P1 in race, 13 points lost, +6 points for Max
-Miami sprint – P3 instead of P1 in quali
-Miami race – P2 instead of P1 in quali, P2 instead of P1 in race, 7 points lost
-Imola race – P4 instead of P1 in quali, P2 instead of P1 in race, 7 points lost, +7 points for Max
Overall: 58 points lost (8 points per weekend), 21 points handed to Max