Norris says P4 was McLaren’s best possible Singapore result — but he wants more

Fourth was the best McLaren could manage in Singapore, Lando Norris said, but that did not satisfy him. The reigning world champion was unhappy with P4 and said the team needed to improve if it was to fight for wins. He finished 16 seconds off the podium and 40 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen.

Starting fifth, Norris followed Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari through the opening phase. A mid-race stop for fresh tyres put him ahead of Antonelli and within reach of Hamilton, who was on worn softs. Norris failed to pass Hamilton at Turn 1, then lost a position to Antonelli before eventually passing Hamilton to finish fourth.

Norris was also critical of his own role in the fight for third. He said he could have challenged Hamilton harder and positioned his car better; he also acknowledged that going off allowed Antonelli through.

In Norris’s view, McLaren had slipped to the back of the top four after a summer in which he won twice. He called McLaren the fourth-fastest team and said Red Bull looked like the team to beat after improving in recent weeks. Norris said McLaren needed to keep improving and bring upgrades to make the car better.