Norris baffled by McLaren's surprise pace at Chinese Grand Prix

Unexpected competitiveness

Lando Norris admitted that McLaren's strong performance at the Chinese Grand Prix came as a shock, with the team not anticipating such a competitive showing at a track that should have exposed the weaknesses of their MCL38 car.

"We were just quicker than we thought. The limitations, the places we expected to struggle probably a lot more, we didn't struggle as much in,"

Norris said after securing an impressive second-place finish behind Max Verstappen.

Track characteristics

The Shanghai International Circuit is known for its slow, long corners and a lengthy straight – characteristics that typically do not suit the strengths of the McLaren challenger.

Norris acknowledged this, stating,

"These longer corners, like Turn 1, have always been a big weakness for us. And part of Turn 1 was probably better than we're expecting."

Safety Cars

Norris emphasized that there were no indications heading into the weekend that McLaren would be competitive, saying,

"We're not making it up. We're giving our honest opinion on where we want to be. I think if we were to go into a weekend and we knew we were going to be strong, we'd say so."

He added,

"But all year we've been behind Red Bull and Ferrari, so there's no reason for us to suddenly think we should be ahead. Nothing really pointed to us having an amazing race today."

Tyre strategy and luck

Norris initially started the race on used tyres from the previous day's sprint event but benefited from a well-timed safety car period that allowed him to pit for fresh hard compound tyres.

This move ultimately played a crucial role in his second-place finish.

"Things obviously went our way for sure, because it made the Red Bulls have to stop again. And that obviously put me out ahead of Checo with the Ferrari in between us. That probably saved me a little bit,"

Norris acknowledged, referring to the strategic advantage he gained over Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc.

Despite the unexpected turn of events, Norris's performance showcased McLaren's potential, leaving the team pleasantly surprised by their competitiveness at a circuit that should have highlighted their car's weaknesses.