(Motorsport-Total.com) – Before the Spanish Grand Prix, McLaren was considered by many observers to be one of the hottest candidates for pole position. After strong practice performances, the Woking-based team seemed well prepared for qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
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But when it mattered, the crucial speed was suddenly missing. Lando Norris couldn’t get beyond fourth on the grid, and Oscar Piastri had to settle for seventh.
The disappointment was correspondingly great – not only for McLaren itself, but also for the competition. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff summed up the surprise after qualifying: “With McLaren, yes, it’s strange that they didn’t show up. I had them on my radar too.”
Suddenly McLaren lacks pace
Indeed, on Friday, much indicated that McLaren would play a central role in the fight for pole position. The car made a strong impression, especially in the fast corners. But on Saturday, a different picture emerged. While Ferrari and Mercedes set the pace, McLaren lost crucial time.
Interestingly, team principal Andrea Stella does not see the cause where many would suspect it. According to his data, the high-speed corners even remained one of the strengths of the MCL40. “If we talk about Turn 3, 9, 13 and 14, then we are actually satisfied with our performance there,” explains Stella.
Where the real problem lies
According to the Italian, McLaren lost crucial time in completely different places. “Where we are currently losing time are the medium-speed corners,” analyzes Stella. “We are talking about Turn 1, Turn 4, Turn 7 and Turn 12.”
Particularly noteworthy is his assessment of the competition. Because unlike many observers, Stella currently sees Ferrari at the top. “Under these conditions, Ferrari is currently the best car. Behind them probably Mercedes, then McLaren and then Red Bull.”
Lando Norris also makes no secret after qualifying that McLaren is not yet where the team would like to be. “We’ve actually just returned to where we were before Monaco,” explains the Briton.
After the weak Monaco weekend, the team had made progress and brought some minor updates, but there was no talk of a major performance leap.
“We brought a few small parts that helped us a bit. But at the moment, fractions of a second can make a big difference.” Nevertheless, Norris remains critical. “We are three and a half tenths off pole. That’s a lot.”
Lack of grip troubles McLaren
Especially on a track like Barcelona, the car’s weaknesses became particularly visible. “Here you need grip. You need a good rear end. And that’s exactly what we didn’t have today,” explains Norris.
The statement aligns with the observations of many drivers who complained about overheating and decreasing tire degradation in qualifying. Especially on a track with many long stress phases for the rear tires, McLaren currently does not seem to hit the optimal window.
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Norris therefore speaks of a mixed result. “We are happy because we fought back after a disappointing weekend. But we are not happy enough.”
Piastri sees Mercedes out of reach
Oscar Piastri’s analysis is even clearer. After qualifying, the Australian refrained from lengthy explanations and summed up the situation with a single sentence: “We don’t have the pace to keep up with Mercedes.”
While the other top teams have recently made several advances, McLaren currently seems to be struggling with a significantly smaller development margin. The situation is particularly difficult for Piastri. The Australian has not seemed as confident in recent weeks as he did at the start of the season.
Sky expert Ralf Schumacher believes that the current dip in form is not solely due to technical reasons. “Piastri doesn’t seem to be entirely comfortable with the new concept,” analyzes the former Formula 1 driver.
Furthermore, Schumacher also sees changes within the team dynamic. “That easy-going atmosphere in the team has somewhat disappeared.” The high expectations after the successes of recent years could now be creating additional pressure.
“We already saw last year that McLaren had problems on some tracks despite a big advantage,” Schumacher recalls. Added to this are constant technical difficulties. “That drags the whole project down a bit. And that makes life difficult for the drivers.”
Red flag possibly cost Norris more
Team principal Stella also points to an unfortunate race progression in Q3. The red flag after Charles Leclerc’s accident hit Norris at a particularly inopportune moment. “Lando was very unlucky with the red flag,” explains Stella.
The Briton was on a promising lap and was only about 250 meters from the finish line when the session was interrupted. As a result, Norris had to act much more cautiously on his last attempt to even put a safe lap time on the scoreboard.
The gaps were also extremely small for Piastri. “There was only a tenth of a second between third and seventh place,” emphasizes Stella.
Despite the disappointing qualifying, McLaren looks optimistically towards the Grand Prix. The team expects a race that will be heavily influenced by tire management, strategy, and pit stops. “We know that we still have technical work ahead of us to optimally use the tires over the distance,” explains Stella.
Nevertheless, he still sees his team in the fight for the top positions. “We are definitely in the game.” The big question, however, remains: Why couldn’t McLaren convert their strong practice form into a corresponding qualifying result?
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