McLaren endured a difficult Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying session at Sepang, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finishing more than six tenths of a second away from Max Verstappen’s pole position. The MCL40 appeared clearly weaker over a single lap than Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, although the strong race pace shown during practice means Sunday could produce a different picture.
The result confirmed some of the concerns that had already emerged during McLaren’s difficult start to the Sepang weekend. Oscar Piastri had explained on Friday that the high abrasiveness of the Malaysian circuit had caught the team by surprise, yet both McLaren drivers subsequently showed encouraging race pace during FP2 and FP3.
McLaren struggles over one lap in Bahrain GP qualifying
Qualifying ended with Lando Norris in sixth position and Oscar Piastri seventh. However, the two McLaren drivers will start Sunday’s race from fifth and sixth because Isack Hadjar, who qualified third, has a five-place grid penalty.
If the race remains dry, McLaren appears to have the potential to recover several positions based on the pace seen over longer runs in practice. The Sepang long-run picture was considerably more encouraging for McLaren than its qualifying result ultimately suggested.
However, the leading teams are closely matched and overtaking may not be as straightforward as Sepang’s wide layout and long straights might suggest. If rain arrives, McLaren could potentially gain a small advantage from the MCL40’s ability to generate aerodynamic downforce.
Lando Norris: McLaren is struggling more than expected
The onboard footage from world champion Lando Norris, as well as that of Oscar Piastri, clearly showed one of the MCL40’s weaknesses. The car was sliding through low-speed corners and appeared visibly less stable than the Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari cars.
That instability compromised acceleration out of the slower sections and cost McLaren valuable tenths on the way towards the next braking zones.
“I’m happy with the job I did personally, the lap was very good, but we are too far away from the others,” Lando Norris told F1 after qualifying. “The car isn’t performing how we would like and we are struggling. The tyre degradation caught us by surprise, it is extremely high, so tomorrow is going to be a difficult race.”
Asked about his realistic chances of securing a strong result, Lando Norris kept expectations low despite the opportunities created by such severe degradation.
“Yes, tomorrow’s race will be unpredictable, there are a lot of opportunities. We haven’t seen tyre degradation this high at any point this season and it is undoubtedly one of the reasons why we are struggling so much.”
“On top of that, my car is still very slow on the straights and I don’t understand why. The race is going to be harder than it should be.”
Norris still troubled by unexplained straight-line speed deficit
The lack of speed mentioned by Lando Norris is particularly important at a circuit with long full-throttle sections. McLaren has already been investigating the unresolved straight-line speed deficit affecting Norris’s MCL40, adding another complication to a weekend in which the car has also struggled for stability and tyre management.
Lando Norris surprised by Red Bull’s Sepang performance
Lando Norris also reflected on the performance of McLaren’s rivals. The Bahrain Grand Prix weekend has produced several surprises for the British driver, both because of his own team’s lack of outright speed and because of the performance shown by those around it.
“Mercedes was expected to be the fastest team; it was surprising to see how quick Red Bull has been throughout the weekend,” Lando Norris said.
“We are six tenths away from the front, so it is clear that we are struggling. Max Verstappen is ahead of everyone, but Isack Hadjar is also right near the front, which shows that Red Bull is genuinely competitive.”
McLaren race pace offers hope despite disappointing grid positions
Lando Norris refused to make bold predictions for Sunday despite the convincing long-run pace both he and Oscar Piastri demonstrated during practice. Nevertheless, it is clear that McLaren still has work to do.
The team arrived at Sepang considered one of the main favourites alongside Mercedes, yet both McLaren drivers ended qualifying more than six tenths away from pole position.
After Isack Hadjar’s penalty is applied, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will still start behind at least one car from each of the other leading teams: one Red Bull, two Ferraris and one Mercedes.
McLaren’s qualifying deficit therefore leaves both drivers with ground to recover. The encouraging factor is that the MCL40 looked considerably stronger during the longer practice runs, meaning tyre management and race pace could become the team’s best opportunity to move forward on Sunday.
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