18/03/2023
NEWS STORY
Lando Norris has revealed that the reason McLaren opted to fit a new engine was because his old unit was "finished".
Along with Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who took on new Internal Combustion Engines as a "precaution", Lando Norris also too on a new ICE, along with a new MGU-H, MHU-K and Turbocharger, ahead of the opening practice session.
"I took a whole new engine because the other one is finished already," admitted the Briton.
Following the disappointment of Bahrain, where a technical issue left him two laps adrift of the race winner, while teammate Oscar Piastri retired after just 13 laps, Norris is a little more hopeful this time around.
"It's close," he admitted. "I think me to last place was split between two-tenths, so if I made a little mistake I was in last place.
"It's just very close, the midfield," he added. "Alpine are up the road on the whole midfield pack, so they've done more to their front. And even Williams seem a lot quicker than us too.
"It feels alright, to be honest, the car. I'm struggling a bit with overall balance but we're just doing the best with what we've got."