Lando Norris: McLaren driver insists team are not in crisis ahead of Saudi Arabian GP

Amid McLaren’s tumultuous start to the season, Lando Norris has insisted the team are not in a state of crisis ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The British driver, who debuted with the team last year, has downplayed notions of the McLaren camp being in disarray, even after a disastrous outing in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

“I don’t think we’re in crisis,” Norris said. “It’s not a great start to the season, but it’s still early days and we’re trying to improve. We had a difficult race in Bahrain, but we’ve got a few races to try and turn it around and be better.”

Despite Norris’ confidence in his team, McLaren’s performance in Bahrain was undeniably troubling. The Woking-based outfit finished the race in 13th and 15th place, with Norris and his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, respectively.

It is a stark contrast to the team’s showing in 2020, when they finished third in the constructor’s championship, their best result since 2012.

“We haven’t lost any confidence within the team,” Norris said. “We haven’t completely changed our philosophy and the way we’re working. Everything is still the same, and we still believe in the same things. We just need to find more performance.”

McLaren’s struggles have been laid bare in recent weeks, with the team announcing their decision to part ways with technical director James Key amid the current crisis.

However, Norris remains optimistic that the team can turn their fortunes around.

“We’ve got some good updates and some changes to the car that should help us,” he said. “It’s a long season, and I’m sure we’ll come back stronger.”

As McLaren prepare for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Norris has made it clear that he and his team are not in a state of panic, and are instead focused on finding ways to improve.