Lando Norris didn't hide his frustration. The McLaren driver described his team's lack of performance at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as "a little knife in the heart". What was supposed to be a stepping stone on Friday turned into a long night full of questions.
Norris could only manage 14th in the opening practice session, 1.6 seconds off George Russell's benchmark. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, was just one second down, but Norris's gap was a red flag. In FP2, he climbed to sixth with a 1.5-second deficit, though he aborted a faster lap. Meanwhile, Red Bull and Ferrari looked closer to Mercedes, with gaps of 0.8 and 1.1 seconds respectively.
Technical issues made matters worse. In FP1, both McLaren cars suffered peculiar damage to their floors. This isn't just about speed; it's about the team's understanding of the technical package they brought to Baku. When the car doesn't provide consistent feedback, the homework multiplies.
"We're miles off," Norris said nervously. "We're in a position we expect to be in, but 1.5 seconds off the pace is pretty pants. The car doesn't feel that bad, but seeing how far off you are, it's a little knife in the heart."
Norris stressed that comfort in the cockpit isn't the priority. "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, and it's not very quick at the minute," he said.
Baku has historically been one of Norris's worst circuits. Of his 49 podiums, he has never finished in the top three in Azerbaijan. This narrow, precision-demanding street track seems to be a bogey track. Now, with a large time deficit, the mission to break that streak feels even heavier.
Tonight will be a long night for McLaren's engineers. They must dissect the data, find the root cause, and hope for a miracle before qualifying. If not, the Baku weekend could be a heavy blow to their ambitions.
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