Skip to content
SPORTSBACK
Search
Language: EN
EnglishENEspañolESPortuguêsPTالعربيةAR日本語JA
F1

Norris says McLaren 'miles off' pace in Baku practice

The McLaren driver gave no figure for the gap after Thursday running at the Baku City Circuit, and the team has not explained it.

By Sportsback
Helmet-James-Hunt-byRundvaldRundvald · CC BY-SA 4.0

Lando Norris has described his and McLaren's pace in Thursday practice at the Baku City Circuit as "a little knife in the heart", saying the team were "miles off" the front of the field as things stood.

The comment is a driver's own read on the car rather than a measured deficit or a formal engineering assessment. It was given after the session, and it concerns both his own pace and the team's. Norris did not say how quickly he expected the gap to close.

2026
Lando Norris, United Kingdom
Lando NorrisMcLaren · United KingdomDriver
POS
4th
PTS
186
WINS
2
PODIUMS
5
Season 2026Sportsback

How big the gap is

Button Bahrain 2016Dave Jefferys · CC BY-SA 2.0
Button Bahrain 2016

No lap times, positions or margins have been attached to the description, so "miles off" remains a subjective judgement rather than a figure anyone can check against a timing screen. Whether the shortfall reflects the car's underlying pace, the setup McLaren ran in the session, or the way the running unfolded has not been explained.

Why Norris's words carry weight

McLaren Formula 1 TeamTheSportsDB · free-tier / non-commercial — review before commercial launch
McLaren Formula 1 Team

Practice is an early data point, not a verdict on a weekend. What a driver says publicly after one still travels: the garage works to the problem he names, rivals hear the same words, and the description becomes the baseline against which the sessions that follow are judged. Norris drives for McLaren, so his account of the car is the clearest signal coming out of the cockpit.

What McLaren can change before qualifying

The remaining practice running, qualifying and the race give McLaren chances to close the gap, and the team has time to work on the car before the next competitive session. Until those sessions produce times, there is no way to tell whether Thursday's picture was a snapshot of a car still being dialled in or something that will follow the team through the weekend.

Confirmed, and not yet known

  • Confirmed: Norris said he and McLaren were "miles off" the pace in Thursday practice at the Baku City Circuit, describing the deficit as "a little knife in the heart".
  • Not yet known: the size of the gap, what caused it, and whether it persists into qualifying and the race.

McLaren have not set out an explanation for the shortfall, and no target has been given for the next session. What stands is Norris's own verdict, delivered after practice: on Thursday, the car was not close enough to the front. The weekend's remaining sessions will show whether the gap narrows.

Frequently asked questions

What did Lando Norris say about McLaren's pace in Baku?
He described the team's deficit to the front in Thursday practice at the Baku City Circuit as "a little knife in the heart", saying they were "miles off" the pace as things stood.
How far off the pace were McLaren in Baku practice?
The margin has not been disclosed. No lap times, positions or gaps were given, so Norris's phrase "miles off" is a description rather than a measurement.
Has McLaren explained why the car was off the pace?
McLaren have yet to set out an explanation for the shortfall, and no cause has been identified. The setup used in the session and the car's underlying pace are both unaccounted for publicly.
What happens next for McLaren at the Baku City Circuit?
The weekend's remaining practice running, qualifying and the race give the team chances to close the gap. Until those sessions produce times, it is not clear whether the Thursday deficit will carry through.

Related stories