{
  "id": 11678302,
  "title": "Norris blames Sepang tarmac as McLaren struggle in Bahrain GP qualifying",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/norris-blames-sepang-tarmac-as-mclaren-struggle-in-bahrain-gp-11678302",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-03T12:04:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/sports/2026/10/03/norris-blames-sepang-tarmac-as-mclaren-struggle-in-bahrain-gp-qualifying"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Lando Norris, the McLaren driver from Britain, faced challenges with his car during the qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. He attributed the team's struggles to the unique surface of the Sepang circuit. Norris qualified sixth-fastest, only six-tenths of a second behind pole sitter Max Verstappen, but will start fifth after Red Bull's Isaac Hadjar received a grid penalty, dropping him from third to eighth. The McLaren driver, who is currently fourth in the championship, was honest about his car's performance on the tarmac in Sepang. \"We are just slow,\" he told reporters. \"This tarmac is very different to a lot of other tracks we have been to this year, and therefore I think you see Mercedes struggle a lot more today, especially, you see Red Bull quicker than they usually are.\" Norris felt he had maximized his final qualifying lap but acknowledged that his car is lacking in speed on the straights. His teammate Oscar Piastri, who qualified seventh-fastest, will start on the third row due to Hadjar's penalty. \"Not quite the session we wanted,\" Piastri said. \"We're struggling a bit for pace here. But overall, I was reasonably happy with things. An extra tenth (of a second) would have been good... We were just not quite quick enough here unfortunately. It's going to be a race where we can do a lot with strategy - and then hopefully pace.\"",
  "summary": "Lando Norris says McLaren lacked pace and was a long way off the leaders despite qualifying sixth-fastest.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 9,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malaysiakini",
        "title": "‘It’s happening in Malaysia’: Bahrain GP switch surprised race chief",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/its-happening-in-malaysia-bahrain-gp-switch-surprised-race-chief",
        "published": "2026-10-03T08:09:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Verstappen claims first pole of season at Bahrain GP in Malaysia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/verstappen-claims-first-pole-of-season-at-bahrain-gp-in-malaysia",
        "published": "2026-10-03T09:12:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Verstappen claims first pole of season at Bahrain GP in Malaysia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/verstappen-claims-first-pole-of-season-at-bahrain-gp-in-malaysia-11651983",
        "published": "2026-10-03T09:19:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Citizen",
        "title": "Red Bull’s Verstappen grabs pole position for Bahrain GP",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/red-bulls-verstappen-grabs-pole-position-for-bahrain-gp",
        "published": "2026-10-03T09:52:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Red Bull’s Verstappen grabs pole position for Bahrain GP in Malaysia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/red-bulls-verstappen-grabs-pole-position-for-bahrain-gp-in-malaysia",
        "published": "2026-10-03T10:03:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Red Bull’s Verstappen grabs pole position for Bahrain GP",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/red-bulls-verstappen-grabs-pole-position-for-bahrain-gp-11665180",
        "published": "2026-10-03T10:04:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Verstappen ends pole drought with Bahrain GP qualifying win in Sepang",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/verstappen-ends-pole-drought-with-bahrain-gp-qualifying-win-in-sepang",
        "published": "2026-10-03T10:50:15.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "SABC News",
        "title": "Verstappen claims first pole of season at Bahrain GP in Malaysia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/verstappen-claims-first-pole-of-season-at-bahrain-gp-in-malaysia-11691712",
        "published": "2026-10-03T12:56:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}