After a strong showing in Australia, where he became the first non-Verstappen championship leader in years, the 25-year-old has faltered in China.
Meanwhile, teammate Oscar Piastri clinched his maiden pole position in Shanghai.
"Piastri is marking his territory at McLaren, which is very important for him to do," RTBF correspondent Gaetan Vigneron noted.
Norris acknowledges the McLaren as "definitely the fastest car" so far this year, yet he concedes it poses significant handling challenges.
Team principal Andrea Stella highlighted differences in driving approach. "I think for Lando, it (the issues) is a bigger constraint, given his driving style and the way he wants to squeeze out lap times.
"On both fronts, the tyres and the car, there is not much we can do. We just have to adapt," the Italian said.
Stella noted Piastri "handled it better" in managing tyre wear during the sprint. "But it's also true that Oscar suffered less from dirty air," he added.
"But somehow, when Lando tries to find the last tenths, he comes across the behaviour that I referred to earlier. For him, it actually works better when he is at 99 per cent of his potential.
"As soon as he tries to get 100 per cent out of it, it works the other way around."
Sections of the media, however, speculate that Norris may already be buckling under his status as the 2025 title favourite.
"Norris and the Formula 1 pressure," ran a headline from Germany's DPA news agency. "Not ready for the world championship title?"
Bianca Garloff of f1-insider.com echoed: "Is Lando Norris really world championship-ready?"
During a Sky Italia interview after qualifying, Mercedes' George Russell approached Norris from behind, urging him to "smile".
"Norris appeared somewhere between amused and annoyed," the reporter observed.
Austria's Kleine Zeitung wrote: "With pole position in China, Oscar Piastri underscored his title ambitions this year.
"Many believe the Australian is more capable than Lando Norris at McLaren," the piece asserted.
