Melbourne, March 14 McLaren's Lando Norris had a mixed opening day at the Australian Grand Prix, posting strong times in practice but voicing concerns over inconsistencies in his low-fuel runs.
Despite setting the pace in FP1 at the Albert Park Circuit, the Briton finished third in the second practice session (FP2), behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and teammate Oscar Piastri.
While McLaren’s performance on Friday reaffirmed their status as one of the frontrunners this season, Norris was not entirely satisfied with how his car handled in certain conditions. Speaking after FP2, he admitted that while the team had made a solid start, there were areas that still needed work, particularly when running on lighter fuel loads.
"Too many inconsistencies, too many problems,” Norris said when asked about his Friday performance. “I think it’s been a good start to the weekend. We’ve got a good baseline, but certainly not happy or confident with the car in terms of finding the best balance and being consistent enough, especially on low fuel."
The Briton drew parallels to his struggles in Bahrain earlier in the season, citing similar issues with stability when the fuel load was reduced. “I feel like (on the) high fuel, I felt good, (but) just low fuel, similar to Bahrain – too many inconsistencies, too many problems, so a bit of a struggle.”
Despite his concerns, Norris remained cautiously optimistic about McLaren’s competitiveness. When asked whether the team would be a strong contender for the season, he acknowledged the tough fight ahead. “I don’t know what positive means, but I think we’ll be strong. I think, like we said the whole time, we’ll be strong, Ferrari will be strong, Mercedes (too). I don’t know, we’ll wait and see.”
Meanwhile, home hero Oscar Piastri had a more upbeat outlook on McLaren’s performance, describing Friday as a "pretty encouraging" day. The Australian, who finished second in FP2, was pleased with the car’s underlying pace but acknowledged that adjustments were still needed.
“I think the pace was pretty solid, still a few things to try and iron out to make the car feel a bit nicer,” Piastri said. “I think the underlying pace seems strong. I’m pretty happy with the day’s work. I think it’s going to be pretty different for the next two days, so how much today means, we don’t know, but it feels pretty good.”
The Melbourne native has the chance to deliver a special result in front of his home fans but remained cautious when asked about his podium prospects. “It’s hard to say. The weather’s going to be pretty different on Sunday and that’s going to throw some spanners in the works, but I think the underlying pace of the car seems strong,” he admitted.
“Ferrari have looked pretty quick today and Mercedes at other points as well. Things are looking good, but we don’t want to just try and aim for the podium, we want to aim for the top step.”
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