Lando Norris wasn’t happy after the first two practice sessions at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He told McLaren they need to work hard overnight if they want to compete for pole position on Sunday.
Norris is in the race for the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship title, but he has to do well in almost all of the remaining eight races to have a chance. He’s currently 62 points behind Max Verstappen, and time is running out. While there were rumors that McLaren might change their ‘papaya rules,’ Oscar Piastri confirmed he won’t give up a victory just to help Norris.
How does Norris reflect on practice in Baku?
In the first practice session, Norris finished fourth, almost half a second slower than Verstappen. During FP2, his best lap was unclear because he had to back off to avoid hitting Pierre Gasly. “No, probably not his fault,” Norris said about Gasly. “It’s just here you don’t deploy the power until very late. So he’s just clearly misjudged it. It didn’t matter. I’d done my lap already.”
Norris has concerns about his car’s performance. “We’re quite a long way off,” he said. “I’m having to push way too much to try and get a lap time out of it. I think where Oscar was is kind of more where we are.” He added that they have a lot to figure out before they’re competitive.
Fans might wonder if McLaren can catch up with Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship.
Norris sees more teams capable of winning in Baku. “Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull are all very similar,” he noted. “And then there’s a good three or four-tenth gap back to us so a lot of work to do.” He mentioned that Ferrari and Mercedes would be quick due to track conditions being very slippery. “We perform well on higher grip circuits,” he said, adding that they’ll work hard overnight.
What do you think? Can McLaren close the gap?
