"We are where we should be": McLaren's assessment after Singapore qualifying
At the end of an eventful Saturday, McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri qualified in fifth and seventh respectively. However, it was far from an easy day despite the results after an earlier tangle between the teammates as well as questions over the performance of their MCL39.
Speaking about the difficulties of the qualifying session, Norris made it clear that "there's no reason why we're [McLaren] suddenly going to be on the pace" given that "we've not done anything and nothing's changed". Although McLaren introduced a significant upgrade package at the start of this triple header in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Norris' crash and subsequent retirement left doubts about whether the British driver could continue to use those parts for the remainder of the triple header.
During the qualifying session, Norris showed flashes of pace with lap-times that saw him in the top three. Even with the acknowledgment that "I [Norris] obviously could somehow put bits together", the British driver made clear that at the current moment in time the 2026 challenger is simply "too difficult" and "too much of a challenge".
Speaking about the incident between himself and teammate Piastri, Norris maintained his stance and reaffirmed that "I deserved to go for the space and I still believe I had the right for it". With both McLaren drivers reporting to the stewards after the sprint, it was confirmed that neither driver would be given any penalties and there would be no further action however any internal action dictated by McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown or Team Principal Andrea Stella has not been confirmed.
Piastri, who will be promoted up the order after the penalty for Mercedes' George Russell will be applied ahead of the Grand Prix, echoed the sentiment of his teammate. Discussing the car's performance during qualifying, the Australian was honest that it was "not that easy to get time out of the car" due to the difficult nature of the circuit and the car itself.
Adding to this, Piastri also alluded to the difficulties of qualifying around the circuit as "it wasn't the smoothest of sessions". Singapore, which hosted a sprint format for the first time since its introduction in 2021, is often a huge test for the drivers and teams with car set-up being crucial for a good performance. The Australian confirmed that he gave it his all during the hour under the lights, adding that he "was hoping we had a bit more but that was pretty much all we had".
Discussing the incident with Norris, after which he finished 14th in the sprint, Piastri was clear that the team had spoken internally about the situation and cleared the air. Making the team the focus, the Australian highlight that the main concern was "to not have points for the team" as they remain locked in a close battle with Red Bull in the World Constructors' Championship.
Comments