Lando Norris admitted that McLaren simply did not have the race pace to challenge much higher than sixth or seventh at Sepang after the reigning Formula 1 world champion finished ninth in a difficult Bahrain Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri secured sixth place, leaving McLaren with both cars in the points but a result that fell short of the team’s expectations.
The race at the Malaysian circuit proved complicated from the outset, with McLaren making an aggressive tyre gamble before changing its strategy as conditions evolved. The team recovered some of the ground it had initially lost, but both drivers acknowledged that the underlying pace of the car was ultimately not strong enough to fight at the front.
McLaren tyre gamble fails to deliver at Sepang
After a heavy downpour, McLaren was the only team initially to opt for the medium compound, a decision that cost both drivers positions at the start. Following the first Safety Car triggered by Valtteri Bottas going off the circuit, both cars returned to the pits for intermediate tyres.
That decision proved correct and allowed McLaren to move back up the order, helped further by the subsequent switch to hard tyres. However, the Virtual Safety Car caused by Alexander Albon’s retirement, which later became a full Safety Car, disrupted McLaren’s plans.
Unlike Ferrari, McLaren did not immediately pit for another tyre change, leaving Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris with fewer opportunities to improve their positions during an already chaotic race at Sepang.
“It was a very eventful and chaotic race,” Oscar Piastri said. “We took the gamble to start on slick tyres before immediately coming into the pits for intermediates; the decision proved to be the right one and the timing of the Safety Car allowed us to limit the negative impact. We improved a lot on the hard tyres, especially in the second stint, when we were gaining ground on Leclerc — a comeback that was then interrupted by the final Safety Car.
“However, we didn’t have the pace needed to really make an impact. We know what we need to do and that we have to keep pushing, bringing further developments to the car to close the gap; we can see the progress our rivals are making, as was clearly shown by Red Bull’s performance this weekend. Our new components are working as expected, but the others are improving too, so at the moment we are not fighting for victory. We will analyse everything and then focus on Singapore.”
Lando Norris avoids Safety Car collision with Oscar Piastri
The outcome could have been even more disappointing for McLaren had Lando Norris not taken evasive action during the Safety Car period following Alexander Albon’s retirement.
Lando Norris narrowly avoided Oscar Piastri when the group ahead suddenly slowed, sending his McLaren into the gravel before he rejoined the circuit in ninth position. The Briton later accepted responsibility for the incident while also stressing that McLaren’s lack of race pace was the more fundamental problem.
“Ultimately, the day came down to a few key aspects. The initial gamble to start on medium tyres didn’t pay off: the grip wasn’t there as we expected; it was a collective decision and, in hindsight, it proved to be the wrong one.
“However, we have to be honest: we simply weren’t fast enough. The car is lacking race pace and we need to improve it significantly if we want to be competitive. I don’t think we could have aimed for better than sixth or seventh place, regardless of how we had managed the race.
“The incident under the Safety Car was my mistake: the group ahead slowed much more sharply because of the situation involving George and I was caught by surprise. It was an unusual and unfortunate circumstance, but ultimately it is up to me to manage situations like that.
“I know I could have done better today, just as the team knows there is still a lot of work to do to make the car faster. We will learn from today’s experience and focus on preparing for Singapore.”
McLaren turns attention to Singapore after difficult Bahrain GP
Despite getting both cars into the points, McLaren leaves Sepang aware that its current race performance is not enough to challenge for victory. Oscar Piastri’s sixth place represented the team’s best result, while Lando Norris could manage only ninth after the failed tyre gamble and his excursion during the Safety Car period.
Both drivers nevertheless pointed towards the same priority ahead of the next round: improving the car and understanding how to close the gap to rivals that are continuing to develop. With Singapore next on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, McLaren now has another opportunity to assess whether its latest components can deliver stronger performance in different conditions.
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