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Reigning world champion Lando Norris expressed significant disappointment following the season opener in Australia, where he struggled to keep pace with the front-runners. After years of establishing himself as a dominant force within the paddock, Norris could only manage a fifth-place finish—a result he admits "hurts" given the team's recent success and his own high expectations.
Struggling to match Mercedes and Ferrari
The weekend started on a difficult note for the Briton, who qualified sixth—nearly a second slower than polesitter George Russell. During the race, Norris found himself in a prolonged and difficult battle with Max Verstappen, who had started from the back of the grid. While Norris managed to keep the Dutchman behind him through a series of defensive maneuvers, he was never in contention for a podium finish.
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Speaking to F1TV, Norris was blunt about McLaren's current standing in the new 2026 hierarchy. "We were not even close to the cars in front of us," he admitted. "It was difficult to understand things while racing. We learned things during the race... we were quite slow at the beginning, but it got better at the end compared to Max. Still, we were nowhere near the top."
A call for rapid development
Norris identified the power unit and general car balance as the primary areas where McLaren must improve to defend their titles. He acknowledged that McLaren's rivals, specifically Mercedes and Ferrari, appear to have done a superior job adapting to the radical new regulations.
"It just hurts a bit more after the last few years," Norris said. "I'm happy for George, he did a good job. Just like Mercedes and Ferrari. They've done a better job than us. We need to learn quickly and understand the car better, but that takes some time. We are doing our best, but we have to close that gap fast if we want to stay in the hunt."
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