Norris: McLaren in ‘good’, but not ‘amazing’ place

Lando Norris has again tried to temper thoughts surrounding McLaren’s pace in Barcelona, saying there’s still a long way to go to be competitive.

Norris admitted a slight annoyance that he went fastest on the first day of running in Barcelona this week, saying he would have preferred to rank last as his pace on Wednesday may have raised hopes about the speed of his car at this early stage.

Mercedes driver George Russell believes McLaren and Ferrari rank ahead of his new team at this moment in time, but Norris went against his compatriot, and instead feels the competitive order goes the other way, but emphasised that his team have had a “good start”.

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“George obviously topped the timesheet [on Friday morning], so if he thinks we’re strong, we’re going to think he’s strong,” Norris said after his stint in the MCL36, quoted by Autosport.

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“But if there’s any team on the grid right now that you’ll expect to be at the front when it matters, it’s got to be Mercedes and probably Red Bull.

“So no, I don’t think we’re in an amazing place. I think we’re in a