Lando Norris says McLaren is “fairly a great distance off” the tempo after ending FP2 on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with out a consultant time.
Norris was seventeenth within the ultimate reckoning after having his single try at a flying lap balked by Pierre Gasly via the super-fast Flip 18-19 kink main onto the entrance straight, forcing him to again out.
Although his time wasn’t consultant, the Briton stated he’d seen sufficient from his first two sectors to know that McLaren hadn’t began the weekend in a aggressive place.
“We’re fairly a great distance off,” he stated. “I’m having to push method an excessive amount of to attempt to get a lap trip of it.
“I feel now we have rather a lot to search out, truthfully, in comparison with Mercedes, Ferrari and Pink Bull. They’re all very comparable, then there’s a 0.4s hole again to us — quite a lot of work for us to do.”
Zak Mauger/Motorsport Photos
Norris pointed to teammate Oscar Piastri’s greatest lap being 0.499s off the tempo as corroborating proof on a day Ferrari, Pink Bull Racing and Mercedes had been break up by simply 0.066s within the prime three positions.
“Clearly the place Oscar was is form of extra the place we’re,” he stated. “I feel if we nail it, we’re nearly there, however I’m certain [the other teams are] not even near nailing it but.
“Folks simply like to imagine that we’re one of the best all over the place, however we’re not. We’ve been doing an excellent job to this point, and I feel different groups haven’t. We’ve been doing a greater job than different groups.
“We’ve at all times recognized Ferrari are very fast right here. I feel with these sorts of observe situations Mercedes are going to be very fast — it’s simply very slidy on the market; I feel we carry out nicely on the higher-grip circuits.
“I’m simply discovering it tough on the minute, however we’ll work laborious tonight. The automobile’s nonetheless not unhealthy. I’m certain we’ll nonetheless get a lap trip of it, however we’re not as clearly forward as now we have been at different races.”
Piastri was much less bothered by his deficit to the front-runners, nevertheless, seeing promise in his long-run tempo and his automobile’s potential over one lap.
“I feel it’s been a good day,” he stated. “It’s a bit laborious to know in the meanwhile with the observe evolving a lot nonetheless, however our tempo appears within the ball park, I’d say.
“Ferrari look fairly robust. Pink Bull look fast. Mercedes as nicely. I feel in the meanwhile anybody within the prime 4 groups seems good.
