Lando Norris’ ‘long way off’ verdict after McLaren endure tough Azerbaijan GP start

Lando Norris has expressed concern that McLaren is “a long way off” the pace of its rivals in Azerbaijan following an underwhelming practice session.

While McLaren has become used to being at the very front in recent races, Friday in Azerbaijan saw Ferrari and Red Bull take a step forward.

Lando Norris: McLaren has a lot to find

During Friday’s practice in Baku, Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri posted the fifth-fastest time, trailing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by half a second at the end of the day.

He was also a similar distance behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Mercedes ’ George Russell.

Norris, however, could only manage 17th, having failed to put in a representative lap on the soft tyres at the end of the session.

When asked if McLaren’s performance was surprising, especially considering the team’s strong recent form, Norris told F1TV: “We’re quite a long way off. I’m having to push way too much to try and get a lap time out of it, clearly.

“I think where Oscar was is kind of more where we are. If we nail it, we’re just about there, but I’m sure the [competitors] are not even close to nailing it yet.

“We have quite a lot to find, honestly, compared to Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. They’re all very similar, and then there’s a good three, four-tenths gap back to us. So, a lot of work for us to do.”

Norris poured cold water on the suggestion that McLaren is now the favourite to beat, saying: “There have been plenty of circuits we’ve not been quick. People just love to believe that we’re the best everywhere, but we’re not.

“We’ve been doing a very good job so far, a better job than other teams, but we’ve always known the Ferraris are very quick here. With this kind of track conditions, Mercedes is going to be very quick.

“The car’s still not bad. I’m sure we can still get a lap time out of it, but we’re not as clearly ahead as we have been on the races.”

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While there are uncertainties around fuel loads and engine modes, Norris believes McLaren has some catching up to do if the team wishes to continue closing the gaps to Red Bull and Max Verstappen in the championships.

Norris pointed to the low-grip conditions in Baku, which have resulted in slower lap times than last year and multiple drivers going off-track, as a possible factor in McLaren’s difficulties.

“It’s just very slidey out there, you know?” he said.

“We perform well at the higher grip circuits and the track is way off, not even close to where we were last year. So we’re just finding it difficult at the minute, but we’ll work hard tonight.”

While Norris was worried about the pace shown by some of McLaren’s rivals, Piastri seemed less concerned by the strong laps on display.

“I think it’s been a decent day,” said the Australian.

“The track’s still evolving a lot, so it’s hard to gauge everything, but our pace seems to be in the mix.

“Ferrari looks strong, Red Bull and Mercedes too. Right now, anyone from the top four teams seems competitive.

“Our long-run pace was good, but some teams are putting together big laps. If you nail it, it makes a huge difference, so that’s the key for tomorrow.”

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