Lando Norris thinks that Mercedes have one of the "best cars on the grid" when it comes to mastering low-speed corners. The Silver Arrows have struggled so far this season with issues including porpoising, and as such have been unable to match Ferrari and Red Bull at the front. However, Norris believes that the W13 is strong in low-speed sections. When asked by RacingNews365.com whether he has been surprised by the changing levels of performance between the teams following the Miami Grand Prix, the McLaren driver explained: "I wouldn't say surprised. "This track has a lot of slow-speed corners, and Mercedes have been one of the best cars on the grid in slow-speed since day one. "I guess they just figured out a bit more this weekend and maximised their car's potential a bit more, so I'm not surprised. "It's been the same in Formula 1 for years; some weekends, your car suits one track and the other time it suits another car."
What can McLaren achieve going forwards?
It was a tough weekend in Miami for McLaren, with Daniel Ricciardo coming home in 13th, while Norris retired following a collision with Pierre Gasly on Lap 41 of 57. This marked a change in performance for the Woking-based squad following Norris' podium at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix two weeks earlier, and consequently he admits that it is difficult to know what to expect for the next event in Spain. "From [the] Barcelona pre-season tests, I want to say it's a bit more hopeful," the Briton commented. "Hopefully, anyway, we can just make some more improvements with the car."
Norris sets out McLaren's place in pecking order
In terms of their place in the pecking order, Norris added: "[It's] tough to know exactly what we're going to do from this weekend. "I want to say we're behind Mercedes, we're behind Alfa Romeo, but we're in a good fight with Alpine and AlphaTauri. I think that's quite simple. "Haas are there or thereabouts, with us as well, so it's close. I think that puts us around fifth fastest or sixth or something. "I think we have a decent pace. We just need a little bit more to take a fight to Mercedes and the guys ahead."
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