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McLaren driver Lando Norris delivered a frank and downbeat assessment after missing out on a podium finish at the Singapore Grand Prix, admitting his team is currently firmly the "slowest of the top four" on the grid.
Norris crossed the line in fourth at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. He had a realistic shot at a podium place in the closing stages while hunting down Lewis Hamilton, whose Ferrari was struggling for grip on heavily worn tyres. However, both Britons ran wide into Turn 1 during Norris's overtake attempt, allowing Andrea Kimi Antonelli to capitalise and slip past both of them. Norris lost another lap behind Hamilton before finding a way through, by which time Antonelli had already built a 3.2-second buffer.
Norris eventually finished 15.9 seconds adrift of Antonelli, highlighting a drop-off in McLaren's form following a dominant stretch that included commanding victories in Hungary and the Netherlands, alongside pole position at the Spanish Grand Prix. The British outfit must now focus on defending third place in the Constructors' Championship from a resurgent Red Bull, rather than chasing down Ferrari for second.
McLaren's advantage over Red Bull has been slashed to just seven points after Max Verstappen claimed a maximum 58 points across the last two Grands Prix and the Singapore Sprint.
Norris conceded that the MCL40 is falling behind direct rivals in Ferrari's SF-26 and Red Bull's RB22.
"Unless we bring upgrades – and we have nothing planned for the near future – we are currently the fourth-fastest car," Norris told Sky Sports F1. "We are at the back of the leading pack. We are closer than we were at the start of the year and we are still in the fight. We're battling for the top four and almost making the podium, but we are too far back and the slowest of the top four teams, so we have to keep developing the car."
Speaking to the media afterwards, Norris reflected that fourth position was the maximum possible result on the day:
"I think we got the maximum we could today. Maybe I could have played it slightly better and made life harder for Kimi. Both Lewis and I wanted to see who would brake latest into Turn 1, but he didn't slow down at all, which forced me wide as well. I could have put up a better fight against Kimi and challenged for the podium, but he was likely going to pass me anyway. Fourth place was the best we were capable of."
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