Lando Norris insisted he is not in a world championship shootout with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri – and claimed the entire grid is still in title contention.
Norris reignited his stuttering bid to land a first championship by winning from pole position in Monaco to reduce the deficit to Piastri to just three points.
Piastri has four victories to Norris’ two, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen the only driver outside of McLaren to win a grand prix this season.
Verstappen is now 25 points behind Piastri – with fourth-placed Mercedes driver George Russell 62 points adrift – but speaking ahead of the ninth round of the season in Spain, Norris said: “Mathematically I feel like probably the whole grid can win the championship at the minute, so if you think it is just out of me and Oscar then you are a bit silly.
“There are plenty of opportunities. I expect Ferrari will get better as the season goes on.
“And Max can still win. Come on! We are racing Max every weekend. He’s been on the podium several times, he has won races, he beat us in Imola fair and square because he was quicker.
“I don’t know what possibly makes you think that it’s only between the McLaren drivers.”
Norris, 25, will regain the lead of the championship he lost after last month’s Saudi Arabia Grand Prix if he follows up his win in Monte Carlo with another triumph on Sunday.
“It’s a great feeling to be in the lead of the championship, and to have more points than everyone, but again it is not something I look at and it is not something that changes anything I do day to day,” he continued.
“It doesn’t change how hard I work or what I try to achieve. I will try to win this weekend and I’ll try and win in Montreal, and I’ll try and win in Austria. And it’s got nothing to do with what position I am (in the championship).”
A new technical directive will be introduced at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya to clamp down on flexible front wings which some believe has contributed towards McLaren’s dramatic rise.
The British team won the constructors’ championship last season and have claimed six out of the eight wins so far in 2025.
However, when asked if he was concerned McLaren will be affected by the rule change, Norris said: “No, not at all. There are tweaks here and there, but nothing that will change how we have to do it.”
Williams’ Carlos Sainz added: “There has been a lot of talk regarding this technical directive but I don’t think it will affect teams as much as people think. I wouldn’t expect more than a one-tenth swing up and down the field.”
