Lando Norris believes McLaren is a “long, long way off” and expects it to suffer “pain” over the next races after its difficult start to the Formula 1 season in Bahrain.
McLaren eyed the 2022 regulation changes as a chance to build further momentum in its long-term quest to revive its former glory days, after a resurgence in form over recent years.
But the season opener in Sakhir proved a real struggle as both its cars finished well outside the points in 14th and 15th, off the back of its worst qualifying result since Turkey 2020.
Norris, who followed home team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, feared the team would have to get used to lack of competitiveness for now, admitting it is some way off its pre-season expectations.
“It’s just where we are, quite simply,” Norris explained, as quoted by Motorsport.com. “We just have to get a little bit used to it now. Of course over the last few seasons, [there has been] just a lot of expectation from us within the team, and also everyone else watching and so on.
“We just haven’t got it right at the minute. We’re a long, long way off – not just a little bit, we’re a long way. We’ve got to start fresh and figure some things out.
“I’m just trying to find solutions, and solutions doesn’t mean next week we’re going to be amazing.
“But in months to come we need to understand what’s going on here and how to get better.”
Norris added he was “expecting pain” given McLaren’s current performance, hoping it can find a solution to rediscover its form.
“We’ve been in this position a few years ago,” Norris said. “I’m hoping we can remain more optimistic that the team and everyone back at MTC can figure things out and we can get back on track.”
McLaren was one of three Mercedes customer teams to lack pace in Bahrain, with the Woking-based outfit – along with Williams and Aston Martin – making up the last six runners to take the chequered flag.
Asked if straight-line speed or engine power was McLaren’s main weakness, Norris said while it was “definitely not helping”, both of the factory Mercedes cars finishing in the top four showed it has bigger issues to overcome.
“We’re a long way down on downforce, the handling therefore is very poor,” Norris said. “It’s a tricky car and tricky tyres to optimise, and when you just don’t have the downforce, you just can’t get the tyres working well and you just can’t get everything in a good window.
“You’re understeering, you’re oversteering, there’s just a lot more things going on. I think that’s the problem. We just need less things to be going on.
“[We] need more rear, more front, it’s just downforce really – it so sounds simple but it’s obviously complicated to figure out.”
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