Lando Norris explained McLaren's underperformance in Chinese Grand Prix Sprint qualifying, citing difficult wind conditions that made their car challenging to handle effectively.

High winds significantly impacted Friday's running, with drivers facing crosswinds on the back straight and headwinds into Turn 1. Despite showing promising pace throughout FP1 and Sprint qualifying, McLaren struggled in SQ3, with Oscar Piastri managing third and Norris settling for sixth after a mistake at Turn 14.

"I made a mistake — I locked up in the last corner," Norris admitted. "The car was simply too difficult to drive, particularly with front locking issues and struggles in the tailwind conditions at the last corner, similar to our Bahrain experience."

Norris acknowledged that his errors stemmed from pushing too hard to compensate for the car's limitations, while teammate Piastri secured a better result despite facing similar challenges.

Looking ahead to Saturday, Norris believes driver adaptation rather than setup changes will be key to improvement. "The car's still good and in a good window — maybe not good enough for pole, but we can definitely go forward," he stated.

Piastri, while agreeing with Norris's assessment, pointed to strategic decisions regarding tire usage in SQ3 as an additional factor. "We tried something different by going out earlier and attempting two laps, which might not have been optimal," he explained. Despite these challenges, Piastri remains confident about fighting from third position in the Sprint race.

The track surface presented additional challenges, offering high but inconsistent grip levels throughout the day. However, both drivers noted improved overall performance compared to last season, suggesting potential for better results in upcoming sessions.

Related Articles

Previous Articles