Lando Norris says McLaren still has “problems to solve” with the MCL40 after a costly Q3 mistake left the reigning Formula 1 world champion fifth on the grid for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. After taking three pole positions in the previous four qualifying sessions, Norris was unable to repeat that form in Baku and admitted that he preferred to take risks rather than settle for a lower starting position.
The McLaren driver was also beaten by team-mate Oscar Piastri, something that has been relatively rare this season. Oscar Piastri will start from third place, while Isack Hadjar produced a surprise by placing his Red Bull between the two McLarens in fourth.
Lando Norris explains costly Baku Q3 mistake
Lando Norris paid a heavy price for an error on his final timed lap in Q3, which prevented him from improving on the time he had already set. Speaking to Formula 1’s official channel afterwards, however, the British driver defended his aggressive approach and made clear that he would rather push beyond the limit than simply accept a place on the second or third row.
“The lap was already a little compromised in the first two corners and then I went off. When we are this far away in terms of pace, I prefer to go for it. I was pushing, not so much for pole position because I don’t think that was possible today – George did a fantastic job – but because I would still rather push to the maximum to try to get onto the front row than ‘settle’ for a second or third row.”
George Russell ultimately converted Mercedes’ strong weekend into pole position, with his Baku performance underlining the gap McLaren was trying to overcome. A dominant qualifying performance put George Russell on pole ahead of Charles Leclerc, leaving both McLarens further back on the grid than they had hoped.
McLaren MCL40 problems leave Norris concerned for the race
Despite the qualifying result, Lando Norris believes his own driving has been strong throughout the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend. His bigger concern is the behaviour of the MCL40, whose numerous updates do not appear to be delivering their full potential.
“My feeling is still that I’m driving pretty well this weekend,” Lando Norris continued. “There have just been a few problems I’ve had with the car that have limited my lap time. Hopefully we can solve those problems, although it will be difficult to do that by tomorrow, which means we are going to have a difficult race.”
McLaren therefore heads into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix knowing it has more than just Norris’s qualifying mistake to address. The reigning champion believes the car itself is currently leaving the team at a disadvantage compared with its main rivals.
“But we have to solve some things on the car, because we have a deficit compared with the others at the moment,” the number one concluded.
For Lando Norris, the challenge on race day will therefore be twofold: recover from fifth on the grid while dealing with an MCL40 that he believes is not currently performing at the level McLaren needs. His qualifying approach made his mindset clear, however. Rather than protecting a respectable grid position, he was prepared to risk more in pursuit of the front row.
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