Only for the second time in the season, McLaren had both drivers in the top ten. Most would assume this is a positive result for the Papaya team and a cause for a tiny celebration. However, looking at the bigger picture and not the result, the team will head back to Woking with disappointment. Why? Because before finding  pace on the intermediate tires, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were in a very difficult position during the race. McLaren’s team principal Andrea Stella elaborated on it after the race.

Stella, as quoted by Motorsport-Total, explained the MCL60 is still a long way away from fighting for the midfield crown. The reason behind that is just sheer lack of pace compared to the competition.

“Realistically, points positions with both cars are a good result for us, and we take that with us. But: Alpine is now one of the teams that are significantly faster than us. It has to So something has to happen in front of us so that we can get into the points,” explained the McLaren TP.

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This assessment if completely opposite from Norris’s post-race interview where he talked about enjoying the pace and even joked about lapping Max Verstappen. However, after the nerves settled, even Norris was of the same opinion.

Lando Norris accepts there is a still a lot of work to be done to find the pace in the MCL60

The unexpected rain in Monaco was a blessing in disguise for McLaren. The MCL60 was rapid on the intermediate tires and this is the only reason the two McLaren men finished in points. Without the rain, however, there are still a lot of teams on the grid ahead in terms of race pace. Even Norris confessed the same.

“There are five or six teams that are significantly faster than us. Alpine is clearly ahead of us. And AlphaTauri was also significantly faster in Monaco,” said Norris. In fact, he also admitted without the multiple risks he took during the race, he wouldn’t have passed AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda.

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This is the exact reason Norris’s future is in question. If McLaren doesn’t improve throughout the season, Norris might look at potential suitors for his talents.