Lando Norris claims McLaren were 'still a mile off’ in Singapore despite spectacular P4 finish

Lando Norris claims the race in Singapore was one of the toughest of his career after finishing P4 in changing conditions. The Briton was elated after a series of woeful practice sessions on Friday.

McLaren managed to turn around what looked like a difficult weekend. The team struggled to make it into the top 10 during Friday's practice, but managed to recover brilliantly on Saturday, finishing P6 at the end of qualifying.

While there wasn't much on-track action on Sunday, the team managed to make good use of a late safety car, leading to a top-five finish for both drivers. To make matters better for the Woking-based squad, faster cars such as the Alpines failed to score any points due to power unit-related issues. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton both made driver errors, helping Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo finish P4 and P5.

Speaking about his team's form in Singapore, Lando Norris told on-site media, including Sportskeeda:

"Friday looked like one of our worst weekends so far and I think on pace, we were still a mile off. I think we just did a very good job, both Daniel [Ricciardo] and myself and the strategy team. But Alpine were probably at least half a second quicker in complete wet or dry conditions."

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Lando Norris claims the race in Singapore was one of the hardest of his F1 career

Lando Norris rued the tricky conditions in Singapore as his main challenge, claiming it was one of the hardest races of his career. Speaking to on-site media, including Sportskeeda, Norris said:

"It was a fun race, like probably one of the most difficult races I've done in Formula 1, just because of the level of concentration needed and clearly how easy it was to make mistakes."

McLaren fans rejoiced as their two drivers lined up in Parc Ferme after the race. It was an especially good day for Norris' teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who finished in P5 despite having started 17th on the grid. The Australian driver needs to put in more performances like these if he wants to secure his future in the sport as he is currently without a ride for the 2023 season.

Meanwhile, as both Alpines retired with power unit issues, McLaren now hold a four-point lead over the French team in the constructors' standings. It will be interesting to see how the respective outfits perform in Suzaka next under different conditions.