Lando Norris thinks that McLaren “have a lot of work to do” to improve their car for next weekend’s race in Saudi Arabia, following the Briton’s disappointing P15 finish in the 2022 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix.
This was objectively terrible. So much so that 14th and 15th in the end seems like a relative win given Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo were 18th and 20th on merit early on.
They appeared to be nursing their uncompetitive cars throughout, and Norris’s morose and sardonic radio traffic didn’t bode well.
Lando Norris has admitted that McLaren is a “long, long way” off the pace in Formula 1 this season after a dire showing at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Norris and team-mate Daniel Ricciardo spent the race circulating among the backmarker group that included Aston Martin and Williams.
Norris classified in 15th place, behind Ricciardo, as the pair finished in front of only Williams’ Nicholas Latifi and Aston Martin stand-in Nico Hulkenberg.
“This is where we are, quite simply, we just have to get a little bit used to it now,” said Norris.
“Of course, over the last few seasons, there’s been a lot of expectation from us within the team but also everyone else watching and we just haven’t got it right at the minute.
“We’re a long, long way off, not a little bit, a long way. We’ve got to start fresh, figure things out, find solutions. Solutions don’t mean next week we’re going to be amazing but in months to come we need to understand what’s going on here and how to get better.”
Norris added that “everyone needs to know there’s going to be a bit of pain” in the coming weeks as McLaren strives to figure out its issues.
“We’re a long way down on downforce, the handling is very poor, it’s a tricky car and tricky tyres to optimise,” he said.
“When you just don’t have the downforce you can’t get the tyres working well and get everything in a good window, you’re understeering, oversteering, just more things going on, I think that’s the problem: we need less things going on, we need more rear, more front, just downforce really.
“Sounds simple but obviously complicated to figure it out.”
Norris : McLaren ‘have a lot of work to do’ to improve car Norris : McLaren ‘have a lot of work to do’ to improve car
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