Lando Norris reflected on “a very tough race” for the McLaren F1 Team in Bahrain, for the first round of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
Norris had a few issues throughout the race that cost him a lot of time, meaning his race was over before it really started. The main issue that Norris was suffering was a pneumatic leak, that forced him to pit six times throughout the race. He, unsurprisingly, finished last in front of the other retired drivers.
McLaren have a lot of work to do to get back into a point-scoring position, and they need to ensure that reliability is improved before Formula 1 heads to Saudi Arabia next weekend.
“A very tough race,” said Norris.
“We had a few issues we had to manage, which really took us out of the race but we tried to stay in it for as long as possible, just in case there was a Safety Car or something and we might have had a chance at the end.
“I think the pace was alright otherwise. Just too many issues today to fight for points, so we’ll go again next time.”
Oscar Piastri: “It was disappointing to have finished so soon”
Oscar Piastri was disappointed with his race weekend, as he made his Formula 1 debut in Bahrain as the pinnacle of motorsport returned for the 2023 season.
The Australian driver made his debut for McLaren last weekend after replacing eight-time race winner Daniel Ricciardo, after he was underperforming in 2022. It wasn’t the dream debut that the 2021 Formula 2 World Champion would have been hoping for, though, after he had to retire during the first stint due to an electrical problem.
Prior to his retirement, Piastri had shown good pace and was moving his way up the pack, which he believes is a positive that he will take into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend.
“It was disappointing to have finished so soon. We were going quite well, got a decent start and made some good overtakes. I thought up until the electrical problem, we were doing a good job.
“We’re still working out what the issue is and we hoped changing the steering wheel would fix it but unfortunately, it didn’t. Obviously not the finish to the weekend that I wanted but there are positives to take, and the car seemed to have better pace in the race.
“I still learned a lot and I’m glad I’ve now made my debut and experienced some of the F1 race weekend firsts. I’m now looking forward to having a better weekend in Saudi Arabia.”
