McLaren’s straight‑line speed deficit is criminalised by Norris
McLaren’s straight‑line speed deficit is weighing down Lando Norris by almost two‑tenths of a second each lap, the 2025 champion says he faces a “painful as hell” loss of pace that puts him in a constantly fighting position.
Bahrain missteps pin the driver’s strength
During the Bahrain Grand Prix, Norris, who began from fifth on the grid, fell to 16th as the choice of intermediate tyres proved decisive. The driver then faced a safety‑car restart where a misjudgement dropped him from eighth to 11th after an off‑line gravel excursion.
“I just couldn’t see from my angle how much they literally just stopped on the racing line,” Norris told Sky Sports F1 right after the race, “At the end of the day, it’s my job to judge that kind of thing, but that was not a normal situation and it caught me out.”
The persistent loss over race distance
When asked whether the issue could be rectified by Singapore, the driver admitted uncertainty. “I have no idea,” he replied. “The team are trying, but I’m losing almost two‑tenths every lap. Two‑tenths a lap over 55 laps feels almost impossible.”
Norris still managed to extract a ninth‑place finish, adding two points to the tally. McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri survived the same race to finish sixth, while Max Verstappen captured the first win of the season for Red Bull.
Forward‑looking concern
With the conference of future races looming, Norris remains focused on closing the 200‑m gap downhill and ensuring each lap sees less-than‑two‑tenths loss, a minimal cut that could tip podium positions in a championship defined by milliseconds.
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