“Not Even Fighting for..”: Realistic Lando Norris Shatters McLaren’s Progress Illusion as Hustle Begins to Overturn F1 Misery

Both McLaren Drivers surprised the world of F1 by qualifying in the Top 10 at the Spanish GP. Lando Norris was a revelation, as he went quicker than both Aston Martin and Mercedes cars, to start 3rd on the grid in Barcelona. His rookie teammate, Oscar Piastri, started P10 on the grid, eliminating the likes of Perez and Russell in Q2.

However, the McLaren duo failed to make the same impact on Sunday. An unfortunate incident for Norris and a poor first lap for Piastri made the day easier for the Mercedes drivers to occupy the podium, alongside Verstappen.

“Unlucky” Lando Norris sets realistic expectations

The McLaren Garage was full of hopeful faces before the ‘Lights Out’ in Barcelona. But disaster struck on the 1st lap itself as Norris suffered an “unlucky” accident at Turn 2. A collision with the back of Lewis Hamilton’s car damaged the Briton’s front wing. This forced a slow pit stop at the beginning of the race, and a guaranteed P20 for some laps.

To add to McLaren’s woes, Piastri lost a position in the first lap and dropped out of the points. He eventually finished P13 and Norris ended up at a discouraging P17. Both McLaren drivers were lapped by the Race leader, Max Verstappen.

In the post-race interview, Norris admitted, “We knew we were going to be slow and it was difficult to get in the points. Our target was to try and get into the points today, whether that was ninth or 10th or something. Obviously Lap 1 cost us everything but, at the same time, we would have been unlikely to finish in the top 10 today.”

Read More: Lando Norris Ambitious Words Turn Ironic as Aggressive Approach Backfires to Cause a Horrible Race for McLaren: “Spain Without the S”

He also stated, “We are probably like the seventh quickest car, eighth quickest car. We are not even fighting for points at that rate, so we’re just going to have to keep working hard and keep our heads down, simple as that.”

In a Bid to Turn Tides, Lando Norris Heads Back to the Factory

With 2 weeks for the Canadian GP, Mclaren has enough time on their hands to make the required changes. Lando Norris is making the most of it by being at the Factory for a few days to “try and understand everything.”

Currently, McLaren is sitting 6th on the points table, 23 points behind Alpine. By the time the Canadian GP takes place, McLaren might not be competent enough to take on the frontrunners. But can the new upgrades get them closer to Alpine is something to watch for?

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