Lando Norris endured one of his most difficult Formula 1 weekends of the 2026 season in Baku, with McLaren confirming that an intermittent fuel-injection system issue added to the problems he experienced with the car. The technical fault was not constant, but resurfaced during both qualifying and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while tyre difficulties, Power Unit deployment and a broader straight-line-speed deficit also contributed to his struggles.
Confidence in the car is particularly important around the Baku street circuit, and Lando Norris never appeared as comfortable as usual. Some of those difficulties had a clear technical explanation. McLaren expected to lose ground on the long straights, but the McLaren driver was also affected by the injection issue as early as qualifying.
McLaren identifies intermittent fuel-injection problem
At certain points, McLaren detected inconsistencies in the behaviour of the fuel-injection system. Crucially, however, it was a specific and intermittent fault rather than a general Power Unit problem that permanently left Lando Norris down on power compared with Oscar Piastri.
After qualifying, Lando Norris had already highlighted a noticeable performance difference between the cars in terms of top speed. The injection problem then appeared again during the race, although its effect was less significant than it had been the previous day. In an extremely closely matched field, it nevertheless provided another complication for a driver who was already struggling on the medium tyres.
Intriguingly, the same issue also appeared occasionally on Oscar Piastri’s car. Andrea Stella confirmed that detail, suggesting the problem may not have been restricted to a particular component fitted to one car and will therefore require further investigation ahead of the coming Grands Prix.
“On Lando and the fact that he progressively dropped back, there are several reasons. During the race we saw at times the same problem we had already observed in qualifying, although in a less systematic way. It was intermittent and linked to the fuel-injection system, something that was also seen occasionally on Oscar’s car. It’s something we need to address with high priority,” Andrea Stella explained.
Medium tyres also hurt Lando Norris in Baku
There was another important factor. Like Red Bull, McLaren split the tyre strategies between its two drivers. Oscar Piastri started on the soft compound, which turned out to be significantly more effective and was able to complete a long stint better than the harder compounds.
Lando Norris, by contrast, started on the medium. The same compound also made the closing stages more complicated for Max Verstappen.
During the opening stint, Lando Norris’ main difficulty was not simply losing time on the straights. He struggled to find confidence through the more technical sections, particularly the chicanes and the castle section. That pointed to difficulties managing the rapid changes of direction, the same areas in which Max Verstappen began to struggle once his medium tyres reached a more difficult phase of their life cycle.
“Lando was overtaken by Verstappen, who had a faster car. Lando struggled a little with the medium tyres. I mention Verstappen because he was also on mediums, but he was quicker. Credit has to go to Oscar, who managed to keep him behind. With Lando, we also had some difficulties with Power Unit deployment.”
Andrea Stella points to Norris mistakes and top-speed deficit
Andrea Stella also highlighted some inconsistencies in Lando Norris’ driving during the race. The McLaren driver ran deep at Turn 1 a few laps before the Safety Car appeared, while Lewis Hamilton was also able to overtake him.
“There were also some inconsistencies in the driving: when Hamilton overtook him, Lando locked the tyres and made a few mistakes that allowed the cars behind to get closer. And when your rivals get close, then it becomes difficult to defend, which brings us back to the issue of top speed,” Andrea Stella added.
The data suggests McLaren’s straight-line difficulties were not solely related to how the team managed electrical deployment. During the first stint, both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris recorded lower top speeds than Ferrari.
Oscar Piastri needed performance through the second sector to help defend his position, but Lando Norris also faced a significant straight-line deficit, which eventually contributed to Lewis Hamilton completing the overtake. Ferrari’s own strengths and weaknesses around the Azerbaijan circuit had already become clear from the telemetry analysis of the SF-26 in Baku.
Franco Colapinto crash denies Norris chance on the better tyre
Unfortunately for Lando Norris, the accident triggered by Franco Colapinto prevented him from completing the second half of the race on what had proved to be the better compound. That potentially denied the McLaren driver an opportunity to challenge at least one of the Ferraris, which had struggled throughout the weekend to bring their tyres into the correct operating window.
A difficult weekend can happen during a season in which Lando Norris has otherwise shown considerable consistency, especially after he also lost running in FP1. For Andrea Stella, however, the broader lesson concerns McLaren itself rather than simply the driver.
“I would say for Lando this was one of the most difficult Grands Prix of the entire 2026 season. It’s something we need to learn from, looking at what can be improved. But I would say most of the opportunities are on the team side and the car side, because we need to be able to give our drivers a more solid and more consistent car in terms of predictability.”
With the championship entering an increasingly important phase, eliminating intermittent technical problems and improving the predictability of the car could prove crucial. The latest situation can be followed in the Formula 1 driver standings as McLaren turns its attention to the next round.
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