Stella estimates Norris’s straight-line deficit could cost up to two tenths per lap

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella estimated that Lando Norris’s straight-line-speed deficit at Sepang could cost more than a tenth of a second per lap, possibly one to two tenths. Norris qualified sixth, 0.6 seconds behind Max Verstappen, and before Sunday’s race expected the problem to make it tougher than it should have been.

After qualifying, Norris said his lap felt strong but that he was down on speed on every straight. Even after a good exit, he said, the car was slow at the end of the straight; seeing the pattern recur hurt.

With other parameters held equal, Stella said, Norris’s car accelerated slightly less and developed slightly less top speed in a power-limited section. He estimated the speed difference at probably 1–2 km/h.

Asked whether an ongoing power-unit issue was making him slower on the straights, Norris answered yes. Stella separately said McLaren was describing a straight-line-speed deficit, not making a specific claim about the power unit. He said chassis-side factors and car drag could also be involved.

In a 2 October preview published before qualifying, McLaren said Sepang’s high-speed corners and long straights should better reflect the upgrades it had brought to Baku. Norris said then that straight-line speed was not one of the team’s strengths.

Before Sunday’s race, Piastri said McLaren’s long-run pace in Friday practice had looked good, although the teams around it had not looked bad either. Motorsport.com placed McLaren second in its long-run averages, two tenths behind Red Bull. Piastri noted that McLaren’s runs were shorter and said the pace looked good for the laps completed, but not spectacular compared with everyone else.

After qualifying, Stella said McLaren would look at further changes only for Singapore.