Norris admits McLaren are 'miles off' pace after troubled Baku practice

Lando Norris cut a frustrated figure after McLaren’s troubled opening day of practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, admitting the team were ‘miles off’ the pace and describing the deficit as ‘a little knife in the heart’.

Norris finished a lowly 14th in FP1, 1.6 seconds adrift of George Russell’s benchmark pace, before improving to sixth in FP2 — though still 1.5 seconds off the front — and aborting a potentially faster lap. Team-mate Oscar Piastri fared better in the opening session, finishing just one second down on Russell, highlighting the scale of Norris’s personal difficulties on the day.

McLaren’s pace concerns were compounded by a series of technical problems, including unusual damage to both cars’ floors during FP1. Norris was candid about the team’s position when speaking to media at the end of the session.

“We’re miles off,” he said. “I mean, we’re up there, let’s say, relative. We’re in a position we expect to be in, but like 1.5 seconds off the pace, so pretty pants.”

Asked whether McLaren could close the gap before qualifying, Norris offered little certainty. “I have no idea, so we’ll see what work we can do tonight. The car doesn’t feel that bad. It’s a little knife in the heart when you see how far off you are.”

The championship leader was equally blunt about his priorities at the wheel of the MCL40. “I don’t really care how confident I am in the car,” he said. “I just care about the pace, and we’re not very fast. So I don’t care, I drive whatever car I get given. I just want it to be quick, and it’s not very quick at the minute, but we’ll see what we can change for tomorrow.”

The picture was more encouraging for McLaren’s rivals. Red Bull and Ferrari both showed stronger form on the Baku street circuit, finishing 0.8 and 1.1 seconds behind Mercedes respectively — significantly closer to the front than McLaren managed.

Baku has historically been among Norris’s most difficult venues. The 49-time podium finisher has never finished in the top three in Azerbaijan, and after a difficult opening day, the prospect of ending that streak this weekend looks remote.