McLaren drivers voice irritation over Brazil F1 track element

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have delivered scathing appraisals on the recently laid new track surface at Interlagos, which is hosting the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

The McLaren pair decried the bumpy asphalt, suggesting the current F1 cars were not designed to survive such conditions and that it is “probably the worst” surface the championship has raced on this season.

In FP1, Lewis Hamilton was heard complaining of being in pain due to the bumps causing his Mercedes W15 to bounce as it hit the tarmac.

After sprint qualifying, the seven-time F1 drivers’ champion compared the situation to the infamous 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Whilst Norris did not go as far as saying conditions inside the cockpit in Brazil were painful for him, he did concede to experiencing “more physical discomfort” than usual.

“I don’t know how the tracks are made exactly, but in how the cars are forced to be made nowadays every driver on the grid has complained,” the 24-year-old told media including RacingNews365.

“The cars we had a few years ago, you could get away with more of these things and you almost noticed it a lot less.

“The cars are made to be low. That is the regulation. The teams have to make them like that. And therefore, other things have to change around it. And one of those things is the tracks, because how it was yesterday, especially, made things pretty difficult for everyone.

“And it doesn’t just put us under more physical discomfort. I’m not saying pain, but I’m just saying less than ideal bumps and stuff, for your head and your whole body.

“[But] also the car. The car has to withstand a lot of bumps and hits and things like that. And it’s made to withstand a good amount, but almost as much as yesterday, not really.

“So the FIA know, and they’re not happy with it either. So I know that they want to improve things for the future, and they work with us to try and do that.”

Piastri joins Norris in calling for improvements

With both McLaren drivers speaking after clinching a one-two finish in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix sprint, Piastri echoed the sentiments of his Norris

The Australian, who gave up victory to aid his team-mate drivers’ title bid, said that whilst there was a good level of grip, the surface is “very poor” to race on.

“Yeah, it’s not good,” the two-time grand prix winner added.

“I hope we do something for the next time we come here, but the grip level is actually quite decent, just the consistency of the surface is very poor.

“It’s probably the worst of the year. Austin, I’m not sure, but it’s not far off. Something does need to be done for next year.”