McLaren‘s discouraging run at the Bahrain Grand Prix is set to continue as the team accepts it is “a long way off” where it needs to be at the start of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
There were high hopes for McLaren after it topped the first day of the Barcelona pre-season shakedown, but after a dismal showing at Bahrain testing and underperformance in the season opener, the new MCL36 is proving to be a handful.
A clear lack of competitiveness at the Bahrain GP saw Aussie Daniel Ricciardo manage 14th position, while his teammate in the papaya, Lando Norris finished behind him in 15th.
READ MORE: Hall says sorry after being brutalised by Sonny Bill
READ MORE: Cummins, Starc devastate Pakistan in lethal hour
READ MORE: Legend’s fear for under siege Tigers star
Speaking after the race, team principal Andreas Seidl said, “we know we have an issue on the performance side, which is disappointing and painful”.
“It definitely looks like this track here has exposed us to the weaknesses our package is having quite a lot.”
Unfortunately for McLaren fans, it doesn’t appear the team’s problems are a quick fix.
“I’m expecting pain and I think everyone needs to know there’s going to be a bit of pain,” Norris said.
It’s a far cry from where McLaren has levelled itself in the past five years, securing its first race win since 2012 at Monza last season and working to position itself at the front of F1’s midfield.
“It’s just where we are, quite simply,” Norris said.
“We just have to get a little bit used to it now.
“Of course over the last few seasons there’s a lot of expectation from us within the team but also from everyone else watching and so on, and we just haven’t got it right at the minute.
“We’re a long, long way off. Not just a little bit, we’re a long way [off].
“So we’ve got to start afresh and figure some things out, find solutions.
“Solutions don’t mean next week we’re gonna be amazing, but in the months to come we need to understand what’s going on and how to get better.”
Teammate Ricciardo hopes the new-generation car has a good base and it is only a matter of mitigating a few teething issues.
“If we just find the numbers that will translate into a decent car but obviously for now we just don’t have the same numbers as the front teams,” he said.
“What still fills me with some optimism is it’s completely new cars obviously for everyone this year.
“Some teams have found a really good chunk. Maybe it’s just we keep trying a few things with set-up and we’re like, ‘oh, that turned the car on’.
“We’re still optimistic we might find something even in set-up, maybe not even in an update, so let’s stay hopeful for that.”
Norris said he hopes this is “as bad as it gets” but if not he has backed his team to find a solution by the end of the record-breaking, 23-race season.
“We’ve still got a whole season of development and figuring things out but it’s just not easy to do so,” he said.
“Once we figure out what’s going on and what’s wrong then it’s all about implementing it and bringing upgrades and bringing those parts to the car.
“Figuring out is the hard part. Putting things in the wind tunnel, all that kind of stuff. But it could come a third of the way through the season, halfway through the season, three quarters.
“I don’t want to believe it’s not going to be at all this season. I have faith in the team that they’ll be able to do it.
“They’ve done it the past few years. We just need to step back and re-look at everything and go again.”
McLaren will get another chance to gauge their plight with first practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix kicking off on Friday night.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!