McLaren cites technical shortcomings after disappointing Monaco qualifying

Lando Norris qualified eighth and teammate Oscar Piastri seventh for McLaren at the Monaco Grand Prix, a sharp drop from the team's previous performance at the circuit. Norris described the car as “not very compliant” and said his confidence in the vehicle fell from 100% to about 85%, highlighting difficulties in extracting time on the low‑speed street track.

Team principal Andrea Stella confirmed that McLaren had anticipated challenges in Monaco, pointing to two key technical issues: insufficient overall aerodynamic downforce and limited tyre‑warming capability. The lack of chassis grip and difficulty in generating tyre temperature reduced the car’s performance, especially in the early sectors of a lap, preventing the team from translating its pace into a higher grid position despite improvements over the weekend.