Lando Norris has launched a pointed attack on Lewis Hamilton, suggesting the seven-time world champion is inventing explanations for Ferrari’s struggles against Mercedes at the Chinese Grand Prix.
The reigning world champion dismissed Hamilton’s assertion that his former team possesses a special qualifying engine mode unavailable to rivals.
“Sometimes, when you are a bit off, you can create things in your head,” Norris declared following Saturday’s qualifying session in Shanghai.
The McLaren driver, whose car is powered by Mercedes, firmly rejected any notion that the German manufacturer deploys a hidden performance advantage during single-lap competition.
Lando Norris firmly rejected Lewis Hamilton’s assertion that his former team possesses a special qualifying engine mode unavailable to rivals
|
REUTERS
Hamilton had sparked the controversy earlier on Saturday when he offered his theory for Mercedes’ commanding qualifying performances.
“In qualifying, they have another mode that they’re able to go to, a bit like a ‘party mode’ back in the day, and once they get to Q2, they switch that on, and we don’t have that,” the Ferrari driver stated.
The veteran Briton went further, claiming that whilst Mercedes cannot access this mode during races, they nonetheless retain a broader competitive edge.
“So, whatever that is. And then in the race, they obviously don’t have that mode, so they still obviously have an advantage overall,” Hamilton added.
Norris was unequivocal in his dismissal of Hamilton’s theory, pointing to his own experience with Mercedes power units as evidence.
Lewis Hamilton is not happy with Mercedes, accusing them of possessing a stronger engine than other teams are allowed
|
REUTERS
“We don’t have that, so maybe he is used to his old days when they had it back then,” the McLaren star told assembled media.
Rather than accepting Ferrari’s deficit as a power unit issue, Norris attributed Mercedes’ qualifying supremacy to superior execution across multiple areas.
“Everywhere, we see that the Mercedes improved in the corners throughout qualifying, they had good deployment and on top of everything that they need to be on top of, so they’re just doing a very good job, it is as simple as that,” he explained.
Antonelli seized pole position in remarkable fashion, becoming the youngest driver ever to claim the top qualifying spot in Formula One history | GETTY
Mercedes have established themselves as the team to beat since the introduction of the 2026 regulations, claiming a dominant one-two finish at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
That superiority continued in Shanghai, where Kimi Antonelli secured pole position with George Russell alongside him on the front row.
Hamilton qualified third, some 0.351 seconds adrift of Antonelli, whilst Norris found himself nearly two-tenths further back in sixth position.
The McLaren driver will line up behind teammate Oscar Piastri and the Ferrari pairing of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc when the Grand Prix commences on Sunday.
