McLaren 'take responsibility' for mystery issue plaguing Lando Norris

McLaren boss Andrea Stella says the team "takes responsibility" for mystery issues Lando Norris feels is affecting his F1 car.

Across both the Azerbaijan and Bahrain race weekends, Norris voiced concerns that his MCL40 was suffering from a lack of top-end straight-line speed when compared to the sister machine of Oscar Piastri.

In Baku, where straight-line speed is key on the longest straight on the F1 calendar, Norris was a personal season-worst 0.308s down on Piastri in qualifying, although he was 0.005s ahead in Sepang. 

The MCL40 car is known to already be a draggy car, limiting its top-end straight-line speed, but after Norris again raised the issue in Sepang after qualifying, the matter was put to team principal Stella, who said that whilst there was a minor issue on Norris's car, the team was still investigating the root cause of the issue. 

"I think, more precisely, we should say that the issue we see on Lando's car is about a lack of straight-line speed," Stella began to explain to media, including RacingNews365. 

"So we see that in the power-limited section, the car accelerates a little less and develops a little bit less top speed. All the other parameters are the same. 

"We talk about probably between one and two kph, like they are small quantities. They are even difficult to see because as soon as Lando, for instance, has a little bit of slipstream from a car four seconds ahead, now you see Lando faster than [Piastri's car] so it's small quantities, but that we see statistically, and we should more precisely talk about the deficit of straight-line speed. 

"We can quantify even a lap time loss that I would say in excess of one-tenth of a second, possibly between one and two tenths of a second, and a different conversation is about why that is, and while we can talk immediately about a lack of power, in reality there can be different reasons.

"It's in a way more difficult to monitor what is happening from a power unit point of view, because if it was deployment, we would be able to see it. Possibly has to do with some other parameters, but at the same time, there are behaviours of the power unit that depend on what's happening on the chassis side, and there could be parameters that have to do with the drag of the car. 

"So at no point are we making a point about the power unit. We are just making a point about a lack of straight-line speed, which we want to make a point about, because it's fair to Lando that we take the responsibility for the fact that on his car there's a lap time deficit, which at the moment we have not been able to remove in a couple of events."

The article continues below. 

McLaren pledge fix

The next grand prix in Singapore does not feature many straight lines, which could reduce the deficit Norris believes he is feeling. 

Stella confirmed that whilst the team was looking at the issue and what changes could be made, it would only be Singapore that fixes could be implemented.

"Obviously, we are definitely looking at all the possible parameters," he said.

"We will look at further changes. But we can only do that now for Singapore."