Lando Norris Jokingly Warns McLaren: Monza Gap 'Too Close for My Liking'

Why it matters:

Lando Norris, despite topping FP2 at Monza, expressed concern about McLaren's narrow lead, humorously noting the usual 'one second' advantage was missing. This comes as he trails Oscar Piastri in the championship, highlighting the urgent need to solidify their performance.

The big picture:

Friday's practice sessions at Monza saw McLaren in a surprisingly tight battle with rivals.

• Norris finished FP1 in a relatively low sixth place, while teammate Oscar Piastri sat out for Alex Dunne.
• In FP2, Norris took P1, but was only a tenth of a second quicker than Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who split the McLarens.
• Norris trails Piastri by 34 points in the standings after his chassis-related retirement from the Dutch Grand Prix. While the issue is fixed, he needs to consistently outperform his teammate.

What he's saying:

"Normally by this point we have like a one-second gap on everyone," Norris joked. "But at the moment... just a bit close for my liking at the minute." He added, "I feel like some small things to improve, and for us to still be P1, I thought was good. I thought we improved some stuff from FP1 to FP2, but yeah, just a bit close. So, I just need to try and make the gap a bit bigger, so we're a little bit more comfortable."

What's next:

McLaren will be looking to widen the performance gap ahead of qualifying and the race, aiming for a more comfortable lead against their rivals at the Italian Grand Prix.