F1 information 2023 | McLaren’s Lando Norris ‘optimistic’ for 2023 season regardless of Bahrain Grand Prix catastrophe
2 min read
Regardless of a disastrous Bahrain Grand Prix which noticed neither McLaren end the race, Lando Norris believes the automotive confirmed sufficient to be “optimistic” about the remainder of the season.
Norris mentioned the difficulty that meant he needed to pit each 10 laps for an air top-up into the system – later confirmed to be a hydraulics leak – began on the first nook
In a race dominated from lights-to-flag by the Purple Bull of back-to-back world champion Max Verstappen, Norris would make six pit stops all through the race, earlier than the crew lastly retired the automotive two laps from residence.
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McLaren crew principal Andreas Stella would additionally later verify it was harm to {the electrical} system that will finish Oscar Piastri’s day.
After pulling into the pits, the crew swapped steering wheels on Piastri’s automotive, which did not rectify the difficulty.
“We noticed the digital harm is additional down the road across the steering column,” Stella mentioned.
“So the steering wheel wasn’t the issue. It was an issue with the harness, in all probability, we’re investigating. Not fixable in a short while.”
Norris mentioned regardless of operating the race nicely off the again of the sector, the McLaren nonetheless confirmed “OK-ish tempo” that was adequate to attain factors.
The younger Brit final yr completed a robust seventh in Saudi Arabia after an equally-disappointing Bahrain Grand Prix. He is assured of one other top-10 this yr.
“I believe we have scored factors prior to now in Jeddah and there is no motive we could not have scored factors (in Bahrain) and that continues,” he mentioned.
“We clearly nonetheless consider we will nonetheless rating factors with the automotive now we have which makes us extra optimistic for the season.
“Like I mentioned, we should always have scored factors. I do not know what Oscar had, if it was the identical factor. We did not see something in testing.
“I do not know the ins and outs and what occurred but it surely’s not as dangerous as everybody anticipated earlier than the season. It isn’t as dangerous as everybody was anticipating. Like I mentioned we should always have scored factors, easy as that.”
When he final raced in Jeddah in F2 in 2021, Piastri took pole and a characteristic race win. He additionally completed eighth within the reverse top-10 dash race.
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