McLaren driver Lando Norris says the team is roughly “three months behind” its Formula 1 rivals in terms of car development. Speaking as McLaren aims to return to the front of the grid, Norris suggests that the gap in development progress is affecting the team’s competitiveness. The comments reflect the broader challenge facing McLaren as it works to close performance differences through updates to its car. Norris’s assessment indicates that the problem is not limited to individual races, but is tied to the pace at which the team is bringing new technical developments compared with other leading outfits. Both reports attribute the view to Norris and present it as his estimate of the current state of McLaren’s development programme. The statements also frame the team’s near-term objective: to accelerate progress so it can catch up with rival constructors and improve results in subsequent races.