Norris salvages two points in Bahrain as McLaren's speed deficit costs him two-tenths per lap

Lando Norris salvaged ninth place at the Bahrain Grand Prix, collecting just two points after a race derailed by a tyre strategy miscall and a safety car restart incident, with the McLaren driver admitting the team’s straightline speed deficit is costing him close to two-tenths of a second per lap.

Starting fifth on the grid, Norris dropped as far back as 16th after the team opted for medium tyres when intermediates proved to be the faster choice in the mixed conditions. His afternoon was further complicated when he misjudged the speed of cars ahead at a safety car restart, running into the gravel and falling from eighth to 11th.

“I just couldn’t see from my angle how much they literally just stopped on the racing line,” Norris said after the race. “At the end of the day, it’s my job to judge that kind of thing, but that was not a normal situation, so it caught me out. I don’t really have anyone else to blame but myself, but there was nothing else I could do in that situation.”

The more persistent concern for Norris, however, is McLaren’s lack of straightline pace — a deficit he described as “painful as hell” when asked whether it could be addressed before next weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.

“I have no idea. The team are trying, but I’m losing almost two tenths every lap,” he said. “Two tenths a lap over 55 laps, it’s just painful as hell, so it’s making my life pretty damn difficult.”

Norris was also careful not to deflect all blame onto the car. “Today, I could have done better, so I can’t just have that. That’s not just an excuse, but there are also things I can do better, and the team to do better as well.”

Team-mate Oscar Piastri had a considerably cleaner afternoon, finishing sixth for McLaren. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of the season.