Lando Norris Admits McLaren ‘Long Way Off’ Pace After Challenging Azerbaijan GP Practice

Lando Norris states that there's still a significant gap: "I have to exert excessive effort just to achieve a competitive lap time."

Lando Norris feels that McLaren is significantly lacking in speed after a challenging practice session on Friday at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Norris ended up much lower in the standings after his fastest lap was blocked by Alpine's Pierre Gasly.

Norris ended up in 17th place overall, while his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri recorded the fifth-best time.

However, Piastri was approximately half a second slower than Charles Leclerc, who led the standings.

Looking back at the Gasly incident, Norris commented, "No, it's likely not his fault. Here, you just don't activate the power until quite late."

"He clearly made a mistake in his assessment. It didn't affect anything, though, as I'd already completed my lap. It was just a straight path until then."

The full potential of the McLaren's speed remains unknown as Norris was obstructed.

McLaren's primary rival, Red Bull, seems to have regained their competitive edge.

Sergio Perez came very close to putting Red Bull in the lead, finishing just 0.006 seconds behind Leclerc.

Evaluating McLaren's speed, Norris commented, "We are significantly behind. I have to exert excessive effort just to achieve a competitive lap time. I believe Oscar's position is more reflective of our current standing."

"I believe that if we get it right, we're almost there. However, I'm confident that they haven't nearly perfected it yet. In my opinion, there's still a significant amount to discover."

Norris thinks that Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull are all performing at a comparable speed, positioning McLaren as the fourth-fastest team on Friday in Baku.

"Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull are quite comparable," he stated. "But there's a notable three to four-tenths of a second gap to our team, so we have a lot of improvements to make. Ferrari is particularly fast at this track."

"Given the current track conditions, Mercedes is expected to be fast. The surface is very slippery. Our performance is usually better on tracks with higher grip levels. It's challenging, but we will put in the effort tonight."

Explore Further

Sign Up for Our F1 Newsletter

Receive the newest updates, exclusive content, interviews, and special offers from the world of F1 delivered straight to your email.

For additional details, please refer to our Privacy Policy

Breaking News

Additional Stories

Website Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

Copying text, images, or illustrations, whether in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited in any manner.