Lando Norris Acknowledges Mercedes, Ferrari 'Will Be Hard To Challenge' After China Sprint Showing

Last Updated:March 14, 2026, 17:52 IST

Norris said McLaren were still adjusting to the radical aerodynamic and chassis regulations, featuring a 50-50 split between conventional and electrical power.

Reigning F1 champion Lando Norris admitted on Saturday that McLaren had a performance deficit compared to Mercedes and Ferrari after he and teammate Oscar Piastri qualified fifth and sixth for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Norris said McLaren, constructors’ champions in 2025, did not understand why they were losing significant time to the front-runners.

“My final sector has been pretty poor and we have been losing a little bit on the straights to some of the other cars which we need to understand why," said Norris, who beat Max Verstappen to the world title in 2025.

“The last corner here is like my worst corner of the season, I can’t get it right, and I made quite a big mistake on my final lap there. Where we are now is where we deserve to be and where we should be," he added.

Teams were still adjusting to the radical aerodynamic and chassis regulations in only the second race weekend of Formula One’s new era, featuring a 50-50 split between conventional and electrical power.

Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Norris believed one of the dominant Mercedes cars would take the chequered flag, and McLaren’s competition would be with the Ferraris, who occupy the second row on the grid.

“It looks close to the Ferrari and we definitely want to get in the fight tomorrow," said Norris.

“But it was clear today they definitely have advantages which we struggle to get on top of," he added.

“It will be hard to challenge them but, you never know, and we’ll give it a good shot."

“I think we are a bit behind at the moment," the Aussie said.

“We’re not weak in one particular place. I think we probably did a better job today of maximising the power unit, which was good, but we’re just lacking grip," he added.

News sports formula-one Lando Norris Acknowledges Mercedes, Ferrari 'Will Be Hard To Challenge' After China Sprint Showing

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