Norris dropped from second to third in the Zandvoort Sprint after Leclerc sailed past on Lap 18, and the reigning World Champion didn't sugarcoat it afterward: McLaren "just lacked pace" and are "not quick enough" with their current setup. He qualified within 0.041 seconds of pole but reported having "no rear" as the race unfolded, watching his gap to Russell evaporate while Leclerc closed in from behind. The papaya cars are strong through high-speed sections but bleeding time in slow corners, and there's "not a lot we can do" about it in-weekend. Piastri's sprint was worse—pinched down to fifth on the opening lap, he finished more than ten seconds adrift of the lead pack. McLaren rolled out another upgrade package this weekend, but it hasn't unlocked the pace they need. Qualifying at 4 p.m. local time will tell whether they can extract more for Sunday's race.
Read the full story at formula1.comNORRIS CONCEDES MCLAREN ARE ‘NOT QUICK ENOUGH’ IN ZANDVOORT
Norris dropped from second to third in the Zandvoort Sprint after Leclerc sailed past on Lap 18, and the reigning World Champion didn't sugarcoat it afterward: McLaren "just lacked pace" and are "not quick enough" with their current setup. He qualified within 0.041 seconds of pole but reported having "no rear" as the race unfolded, watching his gap to Russell evaporate while Leclerc closed in from behind. The papaya cars are strong through high-speed sections but bleeding time in slow corners, and there's "not a lot we can do" about it in-weekend. Piastri's sprint was worse—pinched down to fifth on the opening lap, he finished more than ten seconds adrift of the lead pack. McLaren rolled out another upgrade package this weekend, but it hasn't unlocked the pace they need. Qualifying at 4 p.m. local time will tell whether they can extract more for Sunday's race.
