Struggle in the streets of Baku: Norris highlights McLaren's challenges against rivals

BAKU, Azerbaijan -- Lando Norris has expressed concerns about McLaren's performance, admitting the team is "a long way off" the pace of key rivals Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes after Friday practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Norris, who needs impressive results to have any hope of diminishing Max Verstappen’s substantial 62-point lead in the final eight races of the season, faced difficulties during the practice sessions. The McLaren driver ended up in 17th place in the final classification in Friday's second practice, after he had to abandon his fastest lap due to encountering Pierre Gasly's Alpine in the final sector.

Even if he had not been impeded, Norris remains skeptical about McLaren’s chances of bridging the gap to its rivals. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, finished 0.5 seconds off the fastest time set by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

"We're quite a long way off," Norris admitted. "I'm having to push way too much to try and get a lap time out of it. I think where Oscar was is kind of more where we are. So I think if we nail it, we're just about there, but I'm sure they're not even close to nailing it yet. I think we have quite a lot to find, honestly."

He further noted the competitive disparity: "Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, they're all very similar. And then there's a good 0.3 to 0.4-second gap back to us, so a lot of work to do. Ferrari are very quick here. Mercedes will be quick with these track conditions. It's very slidey out there."

Norris, however, remains dedicated to improving performance: "We perform well on the higher grip circuits. Finding it difficult but we'll work hard tonight [before Saturday's qualifying]."

Meanwhile, Verstappen, who finished the second practice session in sixth place behind Piastri, expressed confidence despite the challenges. His teammate, Sergio Pérez, set the second fastest time, narrowly missing Leclerc's best effort by just 0.006 seconds.

Reflecting on the day's practice, Verstappen said, "Overall, a good day. We learned quite a bit and now it's about tidying up the things that we tried. We have been more competitive this weekend so that's positive. There's been a lot of work in the background which won't stop. Today was positive."

As the teams gear up for Saturday's qualifying, McLaren faces a steep challenge ahead, but there's still hope within the paddock for improvement.

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