Overview
- Saturday’s Q3 saw Lando Norris slip to eighth on the grid after a sudden braking inconsistency and a failed final-lap tow that cost crucial straight-line time.
- Norris said the brake behaviour was abrupt and unnerving and that it left him without confidence entering Monza’s heavy Turn 1 braking zone.
- Oscar Piastri ran wide at Turn 1 on the decisive run, removing the slipstream Norris had been counting on and magnifying the lost time on the long straights.
- Reporting and team analysis point to the MCL40’s straight-line deficit at Monza caused by high aerodynamic drag and restrictive gearbox ratios that cost about 10 kph versus rivals.
- The result leaves Norris on the fourth row with an uphill race; McLaren must use strategy and traffic to regain time at a track where tow and top speed decide positions.