“Hope is the ability to see that there is light in the midst of all the darkness.” The proverb well captures the situation at the McLaren garage. Gloom surrounds the team, and it is in need of some light to power its ongoing campaign. The team that stunned everyone in 2020 by earning a P3 in the constructor’s standing is currently experiencing significant challenges.

Shortly after settling into some rhythm on the Baku streets, the papaya army suffered a terrible show at the Miami Grand Prix. Coming with a set of modifications, the team expected to enjoy some benefits. However, this didn’t happen, and Lando Norris experienced a reality check while competing in Florida. Even then, the papaya army’s team boss, Andrea Stella, maintained a little hope for him and the team.

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After being struck by Alpha Tauri’s Nyck de Vries and causing damage to the MCL60’s floor, Lando Norris lost an estimated 0.2 seconds per lap. The team that put on a terrible performance in qualifying carried over to the main race. Furthermore, as the Australian driver battled to control skyrocketing brake temperature, the team briefly pondered benching Oscar Piastri. However, later on, a fix for a hydraulic system malfunction with the brake via wire brake was explored.

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The poor performance has given Lando Norris and the company a “reality check” in light of the adverse circumstances. As per Motorsports-total team boss Andrea Stella said, “The most important takeaway is that after a decent weekend in Baku from a performance point of view, we had a reality check.”

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However, exhibiting some glimmer of hope, he added, “The information we have gained here helps us to understand that some development directions still need to be followed, such as improving the car in the off-brake and off-throttle areas. At the moment, the car works in these conditions simply not.”

There have been various rumors circulating since the beginning of this year that Lando Norris ought to depart the squad due to the ongoing McLaren dilemma. While rejecting all of those speculations, Norris demonstrated his support for the squad. However, it appears that the Miami Grand Prix had truly hammered home his frustration, as evidenced by the Briton’s wrath in the post-media session.

Lando Norris Shows disappointment following poor performance at the Miami Grand Prix

Given their powerful performance in Azerbaijan and the floor upgrades they installed, McLaren was expected to compete for the points at the Miami Grand Prix. The team was unable to fully benefit from the modification due to a number of challenges. As a result, only Alpha Tauri was slower than the papaya army, making them the grid’s second-slowest force.

The British man was deeply disappointed by MCL 60s’ poor performance. According to a particularly discouraged Norris, as per Motorsport-total, “The track doesn’t suit us, longer corners don’t suit us, the temperature doesn’t suit us, track surface doesn’t suit us. There are many aspects of it all. No one was slow either this weekend. Maybe the AlphaTauris were the only other slow car.”

Adding further, he said, “Everyone else was pretty quick. The Alfa Romeos were mega fast, Haas were mega fast. The Alpines were way quicker.” 

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Given that other teams are able to fully utilize their upgrades, do you think that McLaren will be able to withstand the increasing pressure to perform?