Lando Norris finished fifth in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, aware that his McLaren does not have the means to compete with Mercedes and Ferrari. Despite everything, the Briton believes he got the most out of his car.
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McLaren’s weekend at the Shanghai circuit confirmed that the MCL40 remains the third force on the grid in 2026. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished fifth and sixth respectively in qualifying, behind Mercedes and Ferrari. For Norris, this position reflects the reality of his car
“The Mercedes and Ferraris are out of reach! But honestly, there was a bit more to be found” he confided.
The Briton highlights a notable deficit on the straights and a particularly complicated final corner: “My last sector was quite bad and we lost a bit of ground on the straight. The last corner here is my worst of the season, I can’t manage it properly and I made a big mistake on my last lap.”
Limited margins, but visible progress
Norris remains realistic: his fifth place corresponds to the current capacity of McLaren. According to him, a tenth or a tenth and a half better could have allowed him to gain almost three positions.
“We are pretty much at our maximum, our current position is the one we deserve and where we should be” he explains.
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Despite these limits, the Briton sees positive points for the race: “We seem close to the Ferraris in race pace and we definitely want to fight tomorrow. It will be difficult to challenge them, but you never know, and we are going to give it our all.”
Piastri shares the same observation
His teammate Oscar Piastri shares Norris’s analysis. The Australian admits that McLaren does not have the weapons to compete with Mercedes and Ferrari this Saturday, even if the last lap of Q3 was not optimal: “I think there was better to be done, but it was difficult to get everything out of the car. We are where we need to be, and there is still a lot of work.”
For the race, Piastri sets clear objectives: “Get a good start if I can, and try to manage the tires which will be an important factor. The pace of the car will be crucial, we will try to get involved in the fight at the front.”
McLaren therefore accepts its current position as the third force, but remains motivated to take advantage of race situations. With Norris and Piastri, the team hopes to capitalize on its pace and optimize tire management to remain competitive against the dominant teams.
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