Lando Norris: McLaren's shortfall in Baku feels like a "blade to the heart"
Lando Norris referred to McLaren’s underwhelming performance at the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix as “a bit of a stab in the heart.”
Norris managed a disappointing 14th place in the first practice session on Thursday, clocking in 1.6 seconds behind George Russell’s leading time – although his teammate Oscar Piastri was only a second off. He improved to sixth in FP2, with a gap of 1.5 seconds, as Red Bull and Ferrari were notably closer to Mercedes by 0.8 seconds and 1.1 seconds respectively, though Norris did abandon a quicker lap attempt.
The lack of pace for McLaren was worsened by several technical setbacks, including unusual damage to both floors during FP1.
“We're a long way off,” a visibly anxious Norris expressed at the end of the day. “I mean, we're up there, let’s say, relatively speaking. We're in a position we expect to be in, but being 1.5 seconds off the pace is pretty disappointing.”
When asked if there was a possibility for McLaren to close the gap, the Briton replied: “I have no idea, so we'll see what we can achieve tonight. The car doesn’t feel too bad. It’s a bit of a stab in the heart when you see how far behind you are.”
Lando Norris, McLaren
Regarding his experience behind the wheel of the MCL40, Norris emphasized that only true performance counts.
“I don’t really care how confident I feel in the car,” he stated. “I just care about the speed, and we’re not very quick. So I don’t mind; I’ll drive whatever car I’m given. I just want it to be fast, and it’s not particularly fast at the moment, but we’ll see what adjustments we can make for tomorrow.”
Baku has historically been one of Norris’ least favorable tracks, as the 49-time podium finisher has never managed to secure a top-three finish in Azerbaijan – and clearly faces an uphill battle to break that trend this weekend.
More from this section
David Coulthard cautions that "heads will roll" if the Williams FW48 upgrade does not succeed.
Jacques Villeneuve points out the obstacle confronting female F1 racers following Jamie Chadwick's test with Williams.
Lewis Hamilton called before F1 stewards following incident at Azerbaijan GP
James Hinchcliffe: Williams F1's weight advancement provides "extra lap time" in Baku
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll receive grid penalties for the Azerbaijan GP due to modifications made to their Honda F1 power units.
