Lando Norris explains why McLaren was not hiding pace in Bahrain

Lando Norris has told Ted Kravitz not to “overcomplicate” Formula 1, after all, it’s for “dummies” at least when it comes to the drivers.

His quip was in response to the pit lane reporter quizzing him on why he’s so certain that McLaren is trailing Ferrari and Red Bull in different areas when teams could’ve been running, or even sandbagging.

Lando Norris: F1 for dummies, the driving part is anyway

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Formula 1’s first official pre-season test took place at the Sakhir circuit, where Mercedes set the pace in a 1-2 result with Kimi Antonelli’s 1:33.669s, 0.249 seconds up on George Russell’s best time. McLaren’s best time was set by Oscar Piastri, a 1:34.549.

However, it was Ferrari who was the standout in the longer runs according to Norris.

“We weren’t fast enough and we have a lot of work to do to try and improve,” the reigning World Champion told Sky F1. “I think we understood for the first time where we stand in terms of pace, at least compared to Ferrari, who completed a long run.

“At the moment we’re not very close to Ferrari. We’re not bad, but we’re not fast enough.”

It’s not just Ferrari who caught Norris’ attention, as he also noted Red Bull’s energy deployment with its new Red Bull-Ford power unit.

“They have a very good power unit by the looks of things,” he told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets in Bahrain. “They deploy and have a lot of efficiency. We need to understand how they have that.”

He added: “The Red Bulls seem to have done a very good job, and the Ford powertrain seems to be very strong. Fair play to them. But, at the minute, they’re a good step ahead of us.”

Norris was by no means downbeat about the situation, acknowledging McLaren and its engine supplier Mercedes just need to improve a few things.

But quizzed by Kravitz on how he can tell McLaren is not quick enough, Norris replied: “When you do a race run, you’re full fuel, so you can’t really hide that much.”

Told that teams could be running light, or “could be running with a load of lead in their car wanting to sandbag, we don’t know”, Norris replied with a shake of his head: “No.”

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“Don’t overcomplicate Formula One,” he added. “Sometimes people aren’t that smart.”

Kravitz moved onto the new cars’ bargeboards, which stick out further than the previous edition of cars, and voiced concerns about wheel-to-wheel racing.

“You are overcomplicating stuff,” he insisted.

“F1 is for dummies, the driving part is anyway. The rest of it’s for smart people. The dummies drive.

“I don’t know, I’m not quite that close to people. I’m sure when you get to Australia, turn one, you might see some flying by then I.”

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