Norris left with 'knife in the heart' as McLaren struggle in Baku practice

Lando Norris has described McLaren's deficit to the front in Baku practice as "a little knife in the heart", admitting the team are "miles off" the pace at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. A floorboard issue disrupted FP1 for the upgraded MCL40, and while a makeshift cable-tie fix got both cars running in FP2, they still ended up 1.5 seconds behind pace-setter George Russell.

Why it matters:

McLaren arrived in Baku with a significant upgrade package — new sidepods, engine cover, floor, diffuser and rear suspension — and expectations were high. A 1.5-second gap to the front is far bigger than the usual competitive spread, raising questions about how quickly the team can unlock the package's potential in a season where every tenth matters.

The details:

• Norris backed out of a stronger lap late in FP2, and after the session he sighed: "We're up there, let's say, relative... We're in the position we expected to be in, but at 1.5 seconds off the pace. It's pretty pants."
• Asked how much of the gap can realistically be closed overnight, he replied: "I have no idea. We'll see what work we can do. The car didn't feel that bad, so it's just a little knife in the heart when you see how far off you are."
• Marshall's take: McLaren CTO Rob Marshall explained the FP1 issue was minor — a crack in a part, which they mitigated with cable ties to stop it worsening while they work out a proper fix.
• On the upgrades: Marshall said the car "seems to be doing what we want it to do" and the aero map is happy, but they're not there yet in terms of dialling in performance.
• Norris on confidence: "I don't really care how confident I am in the car, I just care about the pace, and we're not very fast. I drive whatever car I get given, I just want it to be quick."

What's next:

McLaren will work overnight to try to close the gap. Marshall stressed it's "early days" and that they need to learn how to dial in the new package. With limited practice time before qualifying, the team faces an uphill climb to get the MCL40 into the window it needs to be competitive.