Lando Norris Slams McLaren Pace as Miles Off After Baku Practice
Lando Norris reported that McLaren was miles off the pace after finishing sixth in Thursday’s second practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, trailing Mercedes pacesetter George Russell by 1.484 seconds.
Norris Details the 1.5-Second Deficit at Baku City Circuit
Heading into the weekend with high expectations following a significant aerodynamic upgrade package featuring revised bodywork around the sidepod air inlets, engine cover, floor, and diffuser, McLaren failed to unlock immediate performance on the 6.003km street circuit. Norris completed 22 laps in the second session, recording a 1:44.831 lap time that left him 1.5 seconds behind Russell. Speaking in the paddock, Norris described the gap as “pretty pants” and a “little knife in the heart” while noting that the car’s handling felt acceptable even if the raw lap time remained missing.
Chief technical officer Rob Marshall indicated that initial telemetry confirmed the car was behaving in alignment with pre-weekend simulations, though the team had yet to extract its full potential. Team-mate Oscar Piastri finished the session eighth, leaving both McLarens outside the top five as the unusual Thursday-to-Saturday race schedule compressed preparation time ahead of Friday qualifying.
Rivals Analyze McLaren’s Practice Pace
Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache assessed that Mercedes held a clear speed advantage while evaluating McLaren’s pace as similar to or slightly quicker than Red Bull’s. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur observed that the McLaren car showed strong initial speed during individual sectors but failed to complete representative flying laps. Meanwhile, Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord stated that he did not view the timing sheet gaps as fully representative of the competitive order.
Mercedes Sets the Pace Amid Antonelli Reliability Issues
George Russell led both practice sessions on the opening day, outpacing Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli by 0.552 seconds in the second session. Antonelli faced significant disruptions after suffering a hydraulic failure in the opening session that necessitated an engine change. The reliability setback forced Mercedes mechanics to spend the first half-hour of the second session completing repairs, restricting the championship leader to half the running time of Russell. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen placed third in the afternoon session, roughly 0.827 seconds adrift of Russell, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton struggled with balance and overall speed.
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