Lando Norris has expressed uncertainty over whether McLaren will manage to identify and repair a power unit issue that is robbing him of crucial straight-line speed ahead of this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix.
The reigning world champion had been performing impressively, securing three pole positions and two race victories across four events either side of the summer break. However, his form has deteriorated sharply in recent rounds, leaving him struggling to match the pace of his rivals and even his own team-mate.
At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Norris qualified only fifth before being removed from the race in a collision. His performance continued to suffer in Malaysia, where he managed a ninth-place finish marred by multiple errors. Throughout the Sepang International Circuit, he was noticeably slower than Oscar Piastri in several sections of track.
McLaren engineers have narrowed down the problem to his power unit, yet they have not yet pinpointed the exact cause of the performance loss. When asked by Sky Sports F1 whether the team could resolve the issue in time for Singapore, Norris offered little reassurance.
I have no idea. The team are trying but I'm losing almost two tenths a lap. Two tenths a lap over 55 laps is just painful as hell. It's making my life pretty damn difficult.
The deficit, measured at nearly two tenths per lap, compounds dramatically over a full race distance. Across a 55-lap grand prix, such a loss translates into a significant time gap that severely hampers his competitive prospects.
Norris acknowledged that his own performance also requires improvement, refusing to blame external factors entirely for his recent struggles.
There are also other things. In Malaysia I could have done better. I can't just have that. That's not just an excuse. There are things I can do better and the team as well.
Stella: Rivals accelerating development faster than McLaren
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella conceded that competing teams may have made more substantial progress with their car development than his own outfit, despite the reigning constructors' champions introducing additional upgrades.
The Hungarian Grand Prix, held before the summer break, marked a turning point when McLaren's upgrade package enabled Norris to secure both pole position and victory—the team's first grand prix win of the season. The package appeared to have restored McLaren to genuine title contention.
Yet the competitive picture shifted rapidly. Mercedes' George Russell delivered a commanding victory in Azerbaijan, while Max Verstappen demonstrated Red Bull's advancement by winning in Malaysia, despite McLaren having introduced further upgrades to their car.
We see a scenario in Formula 1 which seems to be changing pretty rapidly. In Hungary, we took some upgrades, and we were in condition to have a pole position in Hungary and Zandvoort and then we were in condition to do pole position and pretty much victory in Madrid without the Virtual Safety Car. Then very rapidly and interestingly, as we took upgrades as well, the picture changes.
Stella emphasised the need for McLaren to reassess their development trajectory and acknowledge the possibility that competitors have made larger strides.
I think we have to take a look at our own development. We don't see any anomaly in our data, but we have to acknowledge that potentially some competitors have developed their car with bigger steps than we did.
Malaysia's extreme conditions offer potential explanation
The exceptionally high temperatures and deteriorated track surface encountered in Malaysia may have created unusual circumstances that do not reflect true competitive balance. This possibility has given Stella some optimism that McLaren could recover their form in Singapore.
There are very specific conditions in Malaysia, so I think we should give ourselves more time. I'm sure this is the same kind of review that we'll have next door at Mercedes. It's a very special condition in Malaysia, so I think we have to understand better the behaviour of the cars.
Stella cautioned against drawing firm conclusions about Singapore's suitability for McLaren, given the uncertainty created by the recent shift in competitiveness and the need to better understand how their own recent upgrades are performing.
I think we need to give ourselves some more time. I'm personally not in condition to say if Singapore will be now more suitable or not, because from a track layout point of view, we thought that Sepang would be a decent circuit for us. This is because of the uncertainty caused by the new scenario from a competitiveness point of view, but also because we might have to understand a bit better the upgrades that we took ourselves, and Singapore will give us a better answer.
Singapore Sprint format and schedule
The Singapore Grand Prix weekend will mark the season's sixth and final Sprint event, with a 21-lap Sprint taking place at Marina Bay. This will be Singapore's first-ever F1 Sprint weekend, with the format replacing the usual second practice session with Sprint Qualifying and the third practice session with the Sprint.
Track action begins this Friday, with coverage available live on Sky Sports F1. Viewers can stream Sky Sports with NOW, which offers no contract and allows cancellation at any time.
What happens next
The Singapore Grand Prix weekend runs October 9–11, 2026, with Sprint Qualifying scheduled for Friday, October 9; the Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday, October 10; and the Grand Prix itself on Sunday, October 11. The weekend will provide McLaren with crucial data on how their recent upgrades perform under different conditions and whether the power unit issue affecting Norris can be resolved before the race.
