Lando Norris characterises McLaren’s Baku Thursday as painful after practice left the team roughly 1.5s off George Russell, exposing a larger-than-expected deficit at the street circuit.

The shortfall follows a disrupted FP1, when a floor crack curtailed running for Norris and Oscar Piastri at the Baku City Circuit, compromising early setup work and tyre preparation.

Repairs delayed laps, and McLaren later used temporary tie wraps to stabilise the area, restoring FP2 mileage but limiting confidence in correlation during Thursday practice.

Norris said the car feels reasonable yet lacks raw speed. He labelled the 1.5s gap “pretty pants,” and admitted the scale of deficit hurts more than any balance concern.

He prioritises lap time over feel, targeting gains before Friday. The aim is to unlock the new package’s window and recover rotation, traction, and confidence through Baku’s slow corners.

Chief Technical Officer and Chief Designer Rob Marshall confirmed wide-ranging MCL40 updates: sidepods, engine cover, floor, diffuser, and rear suspension. He cautioned it remains early in the learning phase.

Marshall described the FP1 repair as precautionary amid limited spares, preventing secondary damage and preserving track time. The team continues checks to validate floor stiffness and ensure durability.

Norris ended sixth, 1.484s off the benchmark, with Piastri close behind. The result aligns with his pre-event caution in recent comments about Baku exposing weaknesses.

Focus now shifts to correlation, ride-height sensitivity, and braking stability, with Baku’s bumps and long straights magnifying aero efficiency losses seen in paddock observations.

McLaren insists the development direction is sound, but the setup window and load distribution require refinement. Overnight changes target rear support and straight-line efficiency ahead of qualifying.

Execution is crucial. The midfield remains compressed, so small improvements could swing Q3 prospects at the Azerbaijan weekend if McLaren secures clean sessions and commits on downforce level.

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Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.