Lando Norris, British driver for McLaren, believes that in order to compete with teams like Red Bull and Ferrari, McLaren needs to make significant progress. Despite a good start to the Formula 1 season, with Norris finishing sixth and his teammate Oscar Piastri in eighth, Norris recognizes the need for improvement. During the Bahrain Grand Prix, Norris managed to overtake Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin on the third lap, allowing Piastri to do the same. However, Norris was unable to catch Carlos Sainz in third place and was two seconds behind fifth place. Norris acknowledges that McLaren’s pace was similar to Mercedes, but they did not have the necessary advantage to overtake or even get close to the DRS when they were in dirty air.
“But maybe after yesterday, I expected a bit more,” he continued. “However, when I mention a bit more, there is a significant change in position, but not a significant change in lap time. You know, yesterday a difference of a tenth and a half resulted in a change of four positions.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect it to change much today. I believe we are where we predicted to be, and that is a promising start to the season.”
Despite being pleased with the initial performance of the MCL38, Norris acknowledged that there is still work to be done for McLaren to consistently challenge.
“There are several areas we still need to focus on to improve if we want to be more consistent and competitive. However, considering this is a track where we normally struggle, the fact that we are so close to Mercedes is a positive sign that we can surpass them at certain tracks,” he added.
Norris disagreed with the idea that Red Bull was “in a league of their own” at the Bahrain International Circuit, jokingly saying: “I mean, Carlos wasn’t far behind.
“They [Red Bull] have always been strong in terms of race pace. And on this track, tire management is crucial due to its abrasive nature. So I believe Ferrari did a commendable job, but it’s a characteristic of this track for them to do well.
“But they are clearly ahead, that’s for sure. When you look at yesterday, they were not clearly in the lead. I think Charles set the fastest lap. So maybe they can have their own battle between them, and I think that will benefit everyone.
“Red Bull’s strength lies in their race pace, and Max is particularly dominant. However, there is a significant difference between us and Ferrari on a circuit like this, and then another difference from Ferrari to Red Bull.
“We have two substantial gaps to close, but starting with one would be a positive step. I mean, can we make that step towards Max? Yes, in terms of Ferrari. And again, there will be certain tracks where we can do that, and certain tracks where we can’t, as we make additional adjustments.”
