Norris bemoans ‘six-year’ problem McLaren cannot fix

Lando Norris has bemoaned a “six year” problem McLaren has had with its F1 cars that it cannot fix. 

Norris’s faint F1 drivers’ championship hopes came to an end in Las Vegas as Max Verstappen wrapped up his fourth crown – but McLaren are still favourites to land a first constructors’ title since 1998, which it can secure in Qatar this weekend. 

Throughout the Las Vegas weekend, the MCL38 proved off the pace as drivers battled front-graining issues in the cold air and track temperatures experienced in Nevada. 

Since Norris joined F1 in 2019, McLaren has struggled with the front-end of its car, with the Briton detailing how the team has still not be able to “iron out” the problem for six years.

“It has been a complaint of mine for the last six years, and we’ve still not been able to iron it out and get it out of our car,” he told media including RacingNews365.

“At some tracks which are more rear-limited, then these issues don’t arise, but we’ve always been one of the worst teams for front-graining. 

“I’ve driven very well in those races, such as Mexico, and when we do have front-graining, we are not the quickest car, but as soon as it is gone, we have a car that is quick. 

“When you can manage it to a certain extent, we can survive, but [in Las Vegas], we just couldn’t manage it enough and the problems are way too severe and they’ve been just as bad in many other races.

“There are traits, we have weaknesses in the car, that I’ve been saying for a while, but they are ones which are very difficult to get out of the characteristics of the car, so it is something we are working on.”