What was the cause of Lando Norris' high-speed problems during the Baku qualifying session?

The Briton's top speed lagged 3.4 km/h behind Piastri’s during qualifying, but McLaren already has insights into the source of the issue.

“Specifically on Lando's side, we have identified a power deficit that we are currently investigating,” team principal Andrea Stella explained. “It appears to be related to some behavior of the fuel injection system, something that we hope to improve, either through ourselves or the adaptive systems, for tomorrow.”

“It seems that at times the power unit produces slightly less power, but this is a specific occurrence, a particular issue. It doesn’t relate to the overall performance of the power unit.”

Lando Norris, McLaren

This situation unfolded against the backdrop of McLaren experiencing a considerably greater deficiency in straight-line speed compared to its power unit supplier, Mercedes. George Russell outpaced Piastri by 8.1 km/h and was 11.5 km/h quicker than Norris in Baku.

When asked if this was due to the power unit's utilization or a drag-prone McLaren, Norris replied: “It’s a combination of both. They have always had a very efficient car. We need to make significant improvements in that area if we want to compete on any straight-line-speed tracks for the remainder of the season.”

Stella largely agreed and emphasized that McLaren simply needs to match Mercedes’ performance across all facets.

“On a circuit like this, we have seen in every practice session and then in qualifying that we were losing time on the straights compared to Mercedes,” the Italian reflected.

“Even though we have the same power unit, there are some differences, and it's fair to say that their overall package, chassis, ratios, and the power unit itself seem more effective in generating top speed. We noticed how strong they were in Monza; they consistently achieved greater speed on nearly every long straight in the championship.

“From an engineering perspective, it would be inaccurate to claim that there’s a difference in the power unit or that they utilize it more effectively, as we don’t know for certain nor are we assuming there’s any distinction.

“It’s their package that works better for them; they may have even less aerodynamic drag. We know drag is a sector we need to continue improving. In fact, we see it as an opportunity for enhancement.”