McLaren point to 'high priority' focus after Lando Norris concern

McLaren has vowed to look into an issue that plagued Lando Norris during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, labelling it as a "high priority".

The reigning champion endured a difficult outing last weekend as he appeared to lack pace in the opening half of the race.

After the event, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella indicated that he was suffering from a "fuel injection" concern that the squad will now analyse.

The Italian asserted that it was a "high priority" area it will work on ahead of the next race weekend, which will be held in Malaysia.

"On Lando's side, we were struggling a little bit with power unit deployment, and also Lando was having some inconsistencies in his driving," Stella told media including RacingNews365.

"When he was overtaken by [Lewis] Hamilton, he had a lock-up, and he had a few mistakes that meant that cars behind were within range.

"And when they are within range, then we struggle to defend, which goes back to the point on top speed."

[Article continues below]

McLaren take blame for underwhelming Lando Norris outing

Norris' race ended on lap 36 when he was involved in a multi-car collision during a safety car restart.

While his race lacked promise in the build-up to his early exit, Stella asserted it was the fault of the team, rather than the driver.

"I would say that for Lando, this was one of the most difficult events in general that he has experienced in 2026.

"It's something that we need to take away, looking at whatever can be improved.

"But I would say most of the opportunities lie on the team side, and on the car side, because we need to be able to offer our drivers a car that is more raceable and just more consistent in terms of predictability.”