A disappointed Lando Norris believed his McLaren had the raw speed for a front row start in Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying, but a mistake on his final run led to a P7 result for the Briton instead. Teammate Oscar Piastri will line up behind Norris in P8.
McLaren looked strong from the outset in the team’s new MCL38 chassis. Both Norris and Piastri, in his first full F1 season, easily progressed to Q3. However, Norris oversteered exiting Turn 1 on his last flyer, costing him critical time. “It cost me easily one and a half tenths, and one and a half tenths today was easily P2,” explained Norris. He pushed too hard subsequently trying to recover, sliding at Turn 4.
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McLaren shows front row pace in Bahrain
While frustrated with his qualifying result, Norris took solace in McLaren’s much-improved pace compared to last year’s Bahrain outing. The team battles Aston Martin, Mercedes, Ferrari and pole-winner Max Verstappen’s Red Bull heading into Saturday’s grand prix. Piastri echoed that sentiment after a trying session, saying the team is “certainly a bit happier than we were 12 months ago here.”
Both McLaren drivers aim to fight through the field during the race. The MCL38 offers genuine front running performance based on qualifying, giving Norris and Piastri optimism for the season ahead.
