Lando Norris, British driver for the McLaren Formula 1 team, expressed his concerns about the performance at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. During practice, Norris struggled with the balance of his car, especially in certain corners of the track. He acknowledged that in order to be competitive, he needs to find a better setup for his MCL38. Despite these challenges, Norris believes McLaren has a solid foundation to work from and is optimistic about their chances of improvement. He also noted that the performance of different teams can vary depending on the track and conditions. Norris is unsure about McLaren’s position in the hierarchy, but hopes to progress in the next qualifying session.
Oscar Piastri positioned himself two places ahead of his teammate in lap times; however, he agreed with Norris’ opinion that McLaren had significant time to unlock.
“Yes, it was a challenging day, to be honest,” Piastri evaluated. “We had moments where we looked good and moments where we didn’t, so it’s a bit difficult to assess where we stand. But we definitely have some improvements to make tomorrow, so let’s see what we can do.
“The competition in the midfield is quite tight and mixed. So, yeah, let’s see how we fare.”
Piastri acknowledged that Aston Martin seems to be fast based on Fernando Alonso’s leading time in FP2, but emphasized that the entire grid is very close in terms of pace on a quick lap.
“It’s hard to say. Honestly, we could be leading the pack. We could also be in tenth place, where we are currently. It’s just very difficult to determine,” the Australian added.
“Therefore, we can expect another fierce battle in tomorrow’s qualifying session. I hope we can secure a higher position on the grid than the one we currently occupy.”
