‘We’re just not getting rewarded’ – Lando Norris frustrated by McLaren’s ‘unlucky’ run after Monaco retirement

Lando Norris admitted that his second consecutive race retirement has left him searching for answers after he failed to finish the Monaco Grand Prix due to an issue with his car.

McLaren endured a rocky weekend as they marked their 1000th Grand Prix, with Norris and his team mate Oscar Piastri qualifying in P8 and P7 respectively, over half a second adrift of Kimi Antonelli’s pole lap time.

The reigning World Champion then lost out to Pierre Gasly on the opening lap and found himself stuck behind the Alpine with no way past for the entirety of the first stint. Despite maintaining the gap, he began to report problems with power and was seen slowing down through the tunnel.

As George Russell charged past, Norris was ordered to return to the pits and retire from the race, marking another Grand Prix without points as he did not take the chequered flag in Canada last time out due to gearbox troubles.

Asked to summarise how he felt about the day, Norris said: “Look, I’m fighting for P8 and Gasly has a penalty now. This was my chance to be there and get a few points.

“At this point of the year we’re not expecting a win or a podium but we need to maximise sixth, seventh, fifth – little points along the way and they all add up. I’m working hard, the team are working hard and we’re just not getting rewarded. We’re just being unlucky.

“Some of it’s our fault, some of it’s failures, some of it’s just being unlucky. I don’t know, we’re doing the best we can and I’m doing the best I can but when you just can’t finish a race I don’t know what I should really expect.”

Norris went on to explain that their recent reliability struggles felt worse due to the stark contrast with McLaren’s performance in Miami, where they seemed to take a significant step forward with the Briton winning the Sprint before he and Piastri finished on the podium in the Grand Prix.

“I always have faith in the team,” he said. “Some things take time. At the same time, we had a good weekend in Miami – the pace was strong and we could’ve won a race. It’s pretty nuts how up and down it is.

“It shows how difficult it is to get the car in a good window and perform well every weekend, but it also shows just how difficult our car is. The fact we can be six tenths off and fight for a win is pretty impressive.

“Everyone’s working hard. The team are doing the best they can, as am I. We’re just getting unlucky so we’re not being rewarded for good work and hard work. I know it’s not for a win and stuff, like we got used to for the last couple of years, but I still have faith that we can get there through the course of the season.

“We have to keep chipping away. It just hurts to start a lot of races and not even finish. That’s life sometimes.”

In terms of results, his team mate Piastri experienced a smoother race in Monaco as he gained positions from unfortunate drivers further ahead to finish P4, adding 12 points to McLaren’s tally.

He was one of those to receive a penalty for speeding in the pit lane, but was able to serve it during a Safety Car period and avoid any further incidents.

“When you make up three spots in Monaco, that’s always a good day, even if you didn’t actually overtake anyone,” Piastri said. “Happy with that. I think as a team we made some of our calls correctly, which was good to see. That’s all we can ask for.

“I think to end up with 12 points – obviously it was a shame for Lando to not finish – is important. We obviously need to find some pace for next week.”