Norris rules McLaren out of Baku pole fight after 'pretty pants' practice pace

Lando Norris has ruled McLaren out of pole contention in Baku, describing the team's practice pace as "pretty pants" despite bringing a major upgrade package to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Norris ended Thursday 1.5 seconds behind pace-setter George Russell, with McLaren's new sidepods, engine cover, diffuser and floor edge failing to deliver an immediate step on the slow-speed street circuit.

Why it matters:

McLaren hoped their long-awaited upgrade would close the gap to Mercedes. Instead, they're on the back foot at a circuit where track position is everything. Norris sits 106 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli with nine rounds remaining.

The details:

• Norris was 1.5s off Russell in FP2, though he aborted a lap that would have put him closer.
• The upgrade includes eight new items — new sidepods, engine cover, diffuser and floor edge.
• CTO Rob Marshall says it's "early days" and the car is "doing what we want it to do," but admits they haven't dialled in the performance yet.
• "The car doesn't feel that bad, so it's a little knife in the heart when you see how far off you are," Norris said.

The big picture:

Mercedes look strong, with Russell topping both sessions. Antonelli recovered from a hydraulics leak and engine change to go second. Verstappen was eight tenths adrift, while Ferrari's Hamilton and Leclerc sat in the top five — though Hamilton says they're losing time on tyres and straights.

What's next:

Qualifying is Friday at 1pm, with the race on Saturday at midday — unusual timing as Sunday is Remembrance Day in Azerbaijan. Russell expects gaps to "tighten even further" in qualifying, while McLaren work overnight to extract more from their package.

"I just want it to be quick and it's not very quick at the moment," Norris admitted.