Norris not making excuses but doesn't have reasons for Bahrain F1 struggle

Almost in parallel to the gap between the two Ferraris although the distance in terms of grid positions is not so stark, Lando Norris qualified sixth for the Bahrain Grand Prix while his McLaren Formula 1 team-mate Oscar Piastri almost seamlessly annexed pole position. Most galling of all for the Briton was the margin between the two MCL39s: 0.426 seconds.

Piastri’s second Q3 lap was 0.392s faster than his first and Norris’s response was scrappy. As described in detail by our GPS analysis, Norris’ lap was undone almost immediately by going too deep into Turn 1 and having to quell the resultant snap into oversteer.

Assuming our data-based estimate of an 0.18s time loss in the first two corners is correct, the lap would still have been good enough for the front row (given George Russell’s later grid penalty), all other things being equal. But Norris sustained further losses around the lap – most likely through hustling the car to chase the time, but the Turn 1 slide will also have overheated the surface of his rear tyres.

"It was just every lap, honestly," Norris told media including Autosport in the post-qualifying ‘pen’ of his struggles.

"No big complaints, the car's amazing – the car's as good as it has been all season, which is strong. Just I've been off it all weekend; I don't know why, just clueless on track at the minute. I don't know; I just need a big reset, that's all."

Norris has never been one to pin responsibility for underperformance on the team or car when he can throw himself under the bus instead. In the pen his demeanour was that of one who is above all baffled as well as dejected.

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

"I just don't know how to approach it," he said. "I can't figure it out – every time I try something, it's good for one session and then it's the wrong thing for the next session because the wind's changed, and I just can't flow with the car. And when I can't flow, I'm just not very quick."

In fact, the mood music had struck up immediately after practice on Friday, where Norris had led the relatively unrepresentative daytime FP1 session while Piastri topped FP2. There, the McLarens had been just 0.154s apart and second-placed Norris was 0.373s ahead of Russell’s Mercedes.

Despite this clear advantage over the rest of the field, Norris mused to reporters that it could be a result of other cars masking their own potential by running heavier fuel loads or less aggressive engine modes. At the time, this fitted in with McLaren’s apparent policy of playing down its car advantage but the events of Saturday in Bahrain suggested there was more going on beneath the surface.

It is as if Piastri has already moved into Norris’s head and is about to default on the first month’s rent. The Australian was smoother where it counted, and more deft in carrying momentum at a track where it is easy to be sucked into asking too much of the front end.

"I've just got to work on myself," added Norris. "I can't fault the team and the car is the best by a long way. But clearly I'm just not clicking at the minute."