Lando Norris poked fun at McLaren’s disastrous start to the F1 season by joking that the team at least had “good pit stop practice” after the Brit had to pit SIX times at the Bahrain Grand Prix en route to retirement
McLaren experienced a catastrophic opening race of the Formula 1 season in Bahrain
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri retired after car problems at the Sakhir Circuit
Both drivers missed out on the top 10 in qualifying after poor winter tests
Lando Norris chose to take a humorous look at McLaren’s dreadful start to the Formula One season, taking lightly the many pit stops he made on his way to retirement in Bahrain.
The opening race at the Sakhir circuit proved a total disaster for the Woking team as the Brit had to retire after six pit stops two laps before the end of the 57-lap race.
It came after his Australian teammate Oscar Piastri also retired just 13 laps from his debut in the race’s first retirement.
McLaren’s weekend already looked bleak ahead of the season opener as the team missed winter development targets to emerge from mid-table and face Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari this season.
Norris, who qualified just outside the top 10, struggled in the race related to an air pressure issue that hampered his pace, but he remains confident the issue was a one-off for the team.
Lando Norris (right) retired from Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir
The British star made six pit stops on a difficult night for the Woking team
“The most important thing was good pit stop practice for the mechanics,” Norris joked. “We just had a problem, if we fix the problem then everything should be fine.”
However, despite McLaren’s bumpy opening, the 23-year-old remains hopeful of McLaren’s ability to make profits and rack up points regularly as the season progresses.
Norris also believes the proximity of much of the field away from Red Bull gives them an opportunity to pick up big wins, with a potential challenge for Aston Martin, who finished Sunday’s race with Fernando Alonso in third and Lance in sixth Place ended stroll.
McLaren’s pace has already worried the team heading into the new season
“Obviously we still think we can still score points with the car we have, which makes us more optimistic for the season,” he added.
‘It was a tenth before [Lance] Stroll, he’s definitely a lot faster – where I am I think we’re sort of. I’m happy with it, I think a little bit better than I might have expected from where we were testing from.
Max Verstappen finally triumphed in Bahrain with a dominating one-two for the Red Bull team ahead of Sergio Perez, while Alonso claimed his 99th career podium with an impressive third place.
The second race will take place on March 19 in Saudi Arabia on the Jeddah street circuit.
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