McLaren endured certainly one of its most tough weekends of the 2022 season at Spa, with Norris ending 12th and his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo a number of seconds behind him in 15th.
Each drivers had been a part of a practice of vehicles that grew to become caught behind the Williams of Alex Albon, which was extraordinarily quick on the straight.
Norris confused that the effectiveness of the automobile’s DRS relative to others was a key issue at Spa, making passing more durable.
“I believe we had been in all probability one of many faster ones on the straights,” he famous.
“The place we lose loads is in DRS, for some motive in DRS we’re fairly surprising.
“Some vehicles are loads higher than others, like in a pure straightline situation I believe yesterday we had been faster than Pink Bull.
“However then the Pink Bull opens DRS and acquire by some means like one other 15km/h and is in a totally totally different league to lots of people.
“So there’s one thing we’re perhaps lacking with DRS, in order that makes our overtaking alternatives lower than different folks.
“However straightline we had been in all probability one of many quickest this weekend, closing sector in all probability one of many quickest at instances yesterday.
“However simply gradual pace, medium pace, excessive pace, nothing was a power this weekend. We’re only a bit down in each space.”
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36
Picture by: Erik Junius
Norris conceded that the poor race efficiency didn’t come as a shock.
“I believe it is precisely as I anticipated,” he mentioned when requested by Motorsport.com if the race was harder than anticipated.
“I believe we knew the racing was going to be loads worse right here this 12 months than it was in earlier years, simply because the slipstream is a lot worse.
“However yeah, other than that, simply getting caught behind the Aston [Of Lance Stroll], and the Williams. I believe the Aston’s tempo was clearly higher than us right now.
“However the Williams is simply so fast within the straight, and I am within the DRS practice, and I simply could not do loads. I reckon we had been simply the place we deserved to be.
“I believe the gaps between all vehicles regarded larger this weekend than regular.
“An extended observe, a whole lot of it is all about effectivity right here, operating as low downforce as potential, however nonetheless having a automobile that performs very effectively in all of the high-speed and low-speed corners. And that is clearly what we do not have.”
McLaren struggled at Zandvoort final 12 months, however Norris is hoping that the Dutch GP venue will probably be extra suited to the MCL36.
“Excessive downforce, so hopefully strikes us a bit of bit extra again consistent with Budapest’s type of tempo, I hope. However you by no means know, it was our worst observe final season.
“So I am hoping this 12 months it is not the case. As a result of a number of the issues that we had in earlier years are perhaps not so evident this 12 months, and we have got different issues. So we’ll see. It could actually’t be loads worse I hope than this weekend.”
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