“We don’t have it; maybe it’s just a matter of power management.” This was Lando Norris’ response regarding the much-discussed ‘party mode’ that Mercedes-powered cars seem to possess. This mode reportedly makes a significant difference, especially in the final stages of qualifying, where Mercedes often gains a substantial advantage over the competition. It is possible that McLaren has not yet fully understood how to exploit this, although the Woking-based team can certainly thank a power unit that is helping the MCL40 significantly. “We have a more powerful power unit than Ferrari, and that is our strength. But some cars are faster in the corners, so following their pace through the turns and then trying to recover on the straights isn’t easy. Mercedes and Ferrari have different strengths: they manage tyres better and have more grip. We have to push in the corners to stay in touch and then try to recover on the straights, which isn’t ideal.” Lando Norris also commented on his fourth-place finish in the Sprint Race and sixth in the subsequent qualifying session.
Norris: “We left a little in qualifying”
“A decent day overall, finishing more or less where we expected. I think fourth place was the maximum we could achieve in the Sprint, and we also beat a Mercedes, which was better than expected. We know we have some weaknesses in race setup that we are working on, and it’s clear we have made good progress, but we must continue working hard to improve and try to close the gap to the teams ahead. In terms of qualifying, we had a decent result, but perhaps we left a little extra out there.”
The reigning world champion explained where the MCL40 is particularly struggling and whether McLaren could compete with Ferrari for a podium battle in the race, although a win seems highly unlikely, especially given Mercedes’ superiority. “The third sector is tricky, and we’re losing quite a bit of time there, partly on the straights but also in the corners. Looking to tomorrow, we’re not far from Ferrari’s pace, but they have advantages that are difficult to overcome. It’s clear we need to head in a certain direction and improve the car, but it’s very difficult to do that overnight. We’ll continue to try to fight with the cars ahead and challenge Ferrari if possible, but we also need to be smart and not compromise our race trying to beat someone who’s just too fast. We’ll see what we can do and try to maximize the points we can get.”
The goal for Lando Norris and McLaren will therefore be to optimize the final result. Beating Ferrari and Mercedes will be challenging, but attention should be paid to the scenarios that could unfold in this new era of Formula 1.
Piastri: “My last lap wasn’t the cleanest”
These were the impressions of Oscar Piastri, who must recover after the home disappointment in Australia. “Fifth in qualifying and sixth in the Sprint. Overall, a decent day, but we still have work to do. Today’s qualifying result is more or less what we expected. My last lap wasn’t the cleanest, so there was still room for improvement, but we maximized what we could for the rest.”
Regarding the goals for the race: “We’ll do our best to start well tomorrow and manage the tyres, as they were a key factor in this morning’s Sprint. Race pace will also be very important, so we’ll see what we can unlock overnight to try to gain more points.”
The technical tug-of-war between McLaren’s straight-line speed and Ferrari’s cornering stability looks set to be the defining battle of the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix. While Norris downplays the existence of a “party mode,” the telemetry suggests that the Mercedes customer teams are still searching for that final bit of electronic optimization that the works team has already mastered. For McLaren, the challenge in Shanghai is clear: survive the high-load corners of the first and second sectors to unleash the Mercedes horsepower on the long back straight. If Piastri and Norris can manage the graining issues that surfaced during the Sprint, the MCL40 might just have enough “rocket ship” DNA to snatch a podium away from the Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc.
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