McLaren Investigates Straight-Line Speed Deficit on Lando Norris's Car

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has officially acknowledged a performance gap between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, specifically regarding top-end straight-line speed. While the deficit is statistically small, the team is taking full responsibility for a mystery issue that has hampered Norris's MCL40 across several race weekends.

Why it matters:

In the tight margins of the 2026 season, a deficit of even 1-2 kph can be the difference between a pole position and a mid-grid start. For a driver of Norris's caliber, consistently losing a tenth of a second to a teammate is an unacceptable bottleneck that could derail his championship aspirations if not resolved immediately.

The details:

• Performance Gap: The issue became glaring in Baku, where Norris was 0.308s slower than Piastri in qualifying—his worst personal gap of the season.
• Quantifiable Loss: Stella notes a speed deficit of approximately 1-2 kph, which translates to a lap time loss of between 0.1s and 0.2s.
• The Mystery: The root cause remains elusive. Because energy deployment appears normal, the team is investigating whether the issue stems from a subtle Power Unit anomaly or chassis-related drag specific to Norris's car.
• Data Complexity: The deficit is so slight that a simple slipstream from a leading car can mask the issue, making it difficult to isolate the problem through real-time observation alone.

What's next:

McLaren is currently auditing all possible parameters to eliminate the discrepancy. While the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix features fewer long straights—which may naturally mitigate the deficit—Stella confirmed that the team intends to implement specific fixes during the weekend to ensure Norris returns to full parity with Piastri.