McLaren has cratered from podium threat to fourth-fastest in three weeks. The Woking squad scraped just 33 points across Baku, Malaysia and Singapore — a collapse that puts third in constructors' standings under Red Bull threat.
The MCL40 carries known flaws: low-speed corner entry, straightline drag, short gears bleeding top speed. Baku was expected to hurt. Singapore too. But Malaysia — a medium-high speed track McLaren should've devoured — exposed something deeper. The car couldn't cope with the rough surface, killing tyre grip and aero. Team boss Andrea Stella called the data "weird."
Self-inflicted damage made it worse. Norris binned it behind the safety car in Malaysia, clashed with Piastri in Singapore's sprint. Bad tyre calls, lock-ups, blown setups. Nearly 40 points left on the table.
The gap is real: 0.9s off pole in Baku, 40 seconds behind Verstappen in Singapore. Red Bull's upgrade has flipped the order. McLaren's hunting for "something more fundamental."
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