Norris says McLaren were “1.5s off” and it’s “a little knife in the heart” after Baku practice

Norris was sixth in FP2 but roughly 1.5s off pacesetter George Russell after McLaren’s upgrade package struggled in Baku; floor damage in FP1 forced temporary fixes and limited running.

In this brief: 3 sections 2 min read

- Norris was sixth-fastest in FP2 and about 1.5 seconds slower than George Russell.
- He aborted faster attempts in both sessions that might have improved his time.
- The deficit was described by Norris as "pretty pants" and worrying for McLaren's weekend prospects.
- McLaren experienced damage to the floor/bargeboard area on both cars during FP1.
- The team applied makeshift fixes to allow more running in FP2.
- Norris said he didn’t know the technical root cause and deferred specifics to the team.
- Direct quote: “We’re miles off … 1.5 seconds off the pace, so pretty pants.”
- “It’s a little knife in the heart when you see how far off you are.”
- Norris emphasised that raw pace matters above feeling confident: “I just want it to be quick, and it’s not very quick at the minute.”

Read full analysis on au.motorsport.com

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