Lando Norris has professed that Silverstone exposed McLaren’s limitations as the team lost out on pole position to Max Verstappen at Formula 1‘s British Grand Prix.
Norris was resigned to a second-row starting spot on home soil as he trailed McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri and Verstappen, who earned pole with a last-gasp lap.
The Briton had headed proceedings in FP2 – the sole practice hour that McLaren topped – but he lagged more than a tenth down on Piastri’s provisional pole run in Q3.
But while he improved on his last attempt unlike his team-mate, Norris wound up 0.015 seconds short versus Piastri, as Verstappen soon relegated him to third place.
Norris conceded that he was unable to make the step that he needed to on his best lap, though he remained content to have consolidated a place within the top three.
“Reasonably smooth. I mean as smooth as I could probably ask for,” Norris told media including Motorsport Week. “Yeah, most of our laps were all pretty decent.
“Just Q1 was the only little nervous one just with how close it was. Yeah, from the front to last really. Otherwise, I think yeah, all good.
“Most laps always improved and I found good lap time. Probably just my final one would have helped to find just that little bit more.
“Just didn’t quite get the grip out of it in some corners and the right balance. But I’m still happy with the third.”
Norris denied that Verstappen’s late emergence came as a shock to McLaren, highlighting that Red Bull has tended to be the benchmark around higher-speed circuits.
“I think you look at Red Bull Ring and you say Red Bull Ring is the high speed,” he began. But comparing to Silverstone it’s quite medium speed.
“Here it’s definitely high speed. And it’s probably highlighted a few more of our weaknesses.
“We’ve performed very well in slower and medium speed tracks. Some of the higher speed, not bad. But we always seem to lose out to Max and the Red Bull.
“Like Oscar said, in Japan, he had things like that. Yeah, clearly things to work on. But I think if we go into the race tomorrow, there’s still plenty of opportunity for us.”
Along with Red Bull’s might in high-speed corners, Verstappen capitalised on running a lower-downforce rear wing than the McLaren duo to harbour a top-speed edge.
Asked whether that will make it tougher to pass the Dutchman, Norris replied: “It’s hard to know until you get behind and get the dirty air and DRS and things like that.
“To be honest, I mean it’s like our DRS speed probably just about matches Max’s speed. I think it’s tough because we’re already catching the high speed.
“We just weren’t really close much when we opened the DRS. So I think it can be tough.
“But there’s also probably more opportunities than in a normal race. And like they both said, between everyone we’re fast and slow in different places.”
Why a usual McLaren advantage could be alleviated
McLaren’s pace relative to the competition has been more competitive in race trim than over a lap amid the MCL39’s superiority when it comes to managing the tyres.
However, Norris has acknowledged that the cooler temperatures that are expected to be prevalent again across the race might alleviate McLaren’s leading advantage.
“I mean certainly it can play a factor,” he assessed. “I mean it was very warm yesterday comparing to today and then comparing to what’s going to be tomorrow.
“Like Oscar said, every car gets lap time quite differently. We probably seem a little bit more in the middle of both the Red Bull and the Ferrari.
“But yeah, I think it can easily make a lot of opportunity come. It could make one’s way tomorrow. So probably expecting a tough but an exciting race.”
Norris not discounting rivals behind
And with rain also on the horizon, Norris, who will line up alongside compatriot George Russell on the second row, isn’t discounting the threat those behind could pose.
“Probably more so the Ferraris, because they are the highest downforce of the lot. Their high-speed performance is pretty impressive. A good step better than ours even.
“I would probably more likely say Ferrari.
“But I just wouldn’t rule out the Mercedes as well. I think they are quick. George is always there in those kind of races where there are a lot of opportunities.
“Unpredictable weather, things like that. Opportunity for everyone. I think the Ferraris are the ones who have been very quick since FP1. Very quick and high-speed. That always helps.”
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