Lando Norris has conceded the McLaren MCL39 does not "drive" the way he wants it to, but insists that is "not an excuse" for his underwhelming qualifying performance in Sakhir.
The drivers' championship leader will line up for the Bahrain Grand Prix in sixth, just ahead of title rival Max Verstappen in the troublesome Red Bull RB21.
Meanwhile, team-mate Oscar Piastri has been gifted a gold-plated opportunity to snatch a heap of points from the pair after claiming pole for his 50th grand prix start.
Despite his difficulties at the Bahrain International Circuit, Norris is adamant he must find a way to drive whichever car he has, regardless of how challenging a particular package might be.
“I don't know, because Oscar is doing a great job," the five-time grand prix winner replied to media including RacingNews365 when asked what it is about the MCL39 that makes it so tricky for him to grapple with.
“So I can't complain. I'm not going to have the excuse that I can't drive my car. It's my job - to drive whatever car I got, whether it's easy or hard, and I'm not doing a good enough job.
"The team are doing an amazing job. I'm not going to complain about the car not suiting my needs... I'm not comfortable, it doesn't drive the way I like, but that's not an excuse.
"The driver's job is to drive whatever car they get given, and I can't drive this car quick enough at the minute."
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Norris: 'I just can't flow with the car...'
Nonetheless, Norris, who leads Verstappen by one point in the drivers' standings and Piastri by 13, maintains the root cause of the issue is not psychological or mental.
Rather, the British driver painted the picture of a sensitive relationship between him and his car.
He detailed how the smallest of changes are ruining his "flow" with the MCL39, something that is slowing him down and inducing mistakes, as was seen during qualifying in Bahrain.
"I just don't know how to approach it," the 25-year-old explained. "I can't figure it out. Every time I try something, it's good for one session, and then it's the wrong thing for the next session, because the winds changed.
"I just can't flow with the car. And when I can't flow, I'm just not very quick.
“I've just got to work on myself. I can't fault the team, and the car is the best by a long way. But clearly, I'm just not clicking at the minute."
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