According to Lando Norris, McLaren seems capable of beating Ferrari in racing but isn’t as quick as them in qualifying.
After their bad 2020 season, Ferrari took a significant step forward in the first race of the new season, where they were the third fastest team in qualifying. Charles Leclerc’s Q3 lap put him on the second row of the grid.
In the race, however, Norris led the “midfield” group home, finishing fourth behind the Mercedes pair and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. Norris admitted that Ferrari was “a bit faster” than McLaren in qualifying but the Mercedes team had ahead in racing equipment.
“More because I overtook Charles five, six, seven laps in the race and not at the beginning,” he explained. “That was because we just had a better car and better speed.
“So it’s a bit of both, 50:50 between us. But it’s not easy and I want it to be easy. So if we do better on Saturday, I’ll be happy. “
McLaren’s slight disadvantage in qualifying continues a trait of the team’s youngest cars, Norris said.
“Saturdays are difficult for us, I think, a bit like last year. We may feel a little more comfortable on Sundays than on Saturdays.
“But we’re in the first race and it’s Bahrain, a track where we usually do pretty well. So we have to be on different tracks a bit more often, we have to see where we really stand after a few more tracks.
“Now I can come forward and just wait for my tires and everything. But if I had to race a little more it might have been a little more difficult and a different story.
“So I don’t want to say anything yet. I don’t want to say anything that is not true. But we had a good Sunday, the car was good, so I can say that’s positive. “
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F1 season 2021
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