Norris and Oscar Piastri did well in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. Norris qualified fourth and Piastri sixth, but they’ll move up a spot because Sergio Perez got a penalty. Norris was close to the fastest time by Max Verstappen from Red Bull, and he was just a bit slower than Carlos Sainz from Ferrari.
Norris said that McLaren improved some things with their car, but the layout of the Albert Park circuit helped them more. This track doesn’t punish McLaren’s weaknesses as much, like its slower speed or problems with certain corners.
He said, “We’ve improved in a couple of small areas and maximized ourselves, but it’s just a slightly different circuit layout that potentially played into our favor. Nothing more than that.”
The McLaren team boss, Andrea Stella, said that Albert Park shows the same problems McLaren always had, but because it’s a fast and flowing track, they spend less time struggling in the corners that don’t suit their car.
Stella said, “When we look carefully at the overlays with some other cars, we recognize the same strengths and weaknesses that we have observed in the first two races.”
He explained that on long corners, like corner three, McLaren loses time, just like they did in Saudi Arabia. Also, they lose time on straight parts where they can use DRS (Drag Reduction System), but in Australia, these straight parts are shorter, so they’re not as affected.
Piastri noted that the competition between teams is mixed up this season. Sometimes Mercedes is fast, sometimes Aston Martin, and sometimes McLaren. This weekend, McLaren did better than Mercedes and Aston Martin. Piastri said they’ve made some progress, which is good.
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