https://shop.fervogear.com/cart
Lando Norris Urges McLaren to Fix ‘Very Painful’ Car Problem Now
Highlights
- Lando Norris calls on McLaren to fix straight-line speed issue.
- Norris qualified fifth, 1.146 seconds behind pole-sitter George Russell.
- Norris’s car struggles more with aerodynamic drag than teammate Piastri.
- Piastri qualified third, 0.308 seconds faster than Norris.
- McLaren must improve straight-line speed for upcoming long-straight circuits.
Lando Norris urges McLaren to investigate a persistent straight-line speed deficit after qualifying fifth at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.
He trailed pole-sitter George Russell by 1.146s, with the MCL40 again drag-limited over Baku’s 2.2km Sector 3 straight, despite recent upgrades and set-up refinements.
“Most of our time loss to them is still in the straights,” Norris says.
Norris locked up and ran wide at Turn 3 on his final push lap, but he stresses the error masks an underlying efficiency shortfall present across the session’s high-speed segments.
Teammate Oscar Piastri qualified third and 0.308s faster, indicating Norris’s car loses disproportionately on the straights relative to the sister McLaren.
Norris calls the deficit “very painful” and has asked the team to probe set-up and hardware differences to explain the intra-team divergence.
Norris describes the straight-line deficit on his car as “very painful.”
The likely focus areas include rear and beam wing levels, cooling aperture choices, ride-height sensitivity, and DRS effectiveness, alongside potential car-to-car build tolerances.
The trade-off is delicate. McLaren must trim drag without surrendering the braking support and high-speed stability that underpin its corner performance against Mercedes.
To compensate, Norris pushes harder in corners, elevating risk, tyre wear, and braking temperatures across Baku’s heavy-stop sequences and traction zones.
Piastri qualified third, 0.308s quicker, with fewer straight-line losses.
With more long-straight venues ahead, priority shifts to improving aero efficiency and reducing drag on the MCL40, aligning with the team’s planned work on aerodynamic balance and drag reduction.
Norris’s result follows a competitive showing for McLaren in Baku qualifying, covered in detail in the team’s Azerbaijan qualifying roundup, but his car-specific issue remains unresolved.
Further context on Norris’s ongoing concerns appears in the latest update on his F1 issue as McLaren targets rapid answers.
Resolving the inefficiency quickly will shape qualifying prospects and race pace, with Mercedes’s efficiency setting the benchmark for McLaren’s next development steps.
Visual Summary
NORRIS
↓
PIASTRI
MERCEDES
POLE
POLE
Norris Deficit
Piastri
Mercedes
+1.146s
“Most of our time loss to them is still in the straights… There’s not a lot I can do about that.”
Norris lags behind Piastri on the longest straight, fighting painful drag.
Mercedes sets the pace, highlighting McLaren’s urgency.
Mercedes sets the pace, highlighting McLaren’s urgency.
Deficit on straight-line speed is Norris’s core challenge in Baku qualifying.
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.
