Norris Warns Ferrari Will “Embarrass Everyone” If Engine Power Gap Is Closed

Ferrari is widely considered to have the strongest chassis on the 2026 Formula 1 grid, but a significant engine deficit has so far kept the Scuderia from dominating.
Mercedes won the opening six grands prix of the season, with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli sharing those victories before Lewis Hamilton ended the streak in Barcelona.
Hamilton had posted back-to-back runner-up finishes before Ferrari arrived in Spain with a heavily-upgraded package that left rival teams genuinely impressed.
According to ADUO results, Red Bull holds the benchmark engine performance figure, with Mercedes sitting 2-4% behind, while Ferrari is over 4% off the pace.
That deficit means Ferrari qualifies for two upgrade tokens under the 2026 regulations, a potential gamechanger that has not gone unnoticed by the rest of the paddock.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was candid in his assessment, telling Sky Sports: “We’re lucky that Ferrari don’t have a better engine at the minute. If they had a better engine, they’re dominating.”
Norris was equally frank about where McLaren currently stands relative to Ferrari in terms of chassis performance, leaving no room for diplomatic spin.
“They’re the class of the field in terms of cornering performance at the minute and we’re not even close to them,” Norris said. “It’s the realistic point of it, we’re a long, long way from where we need to be.”
Norris added: “If they make improvements on the engine side, then they’ll embarrass everyone. We need to really get our heads down and see what improvements we can do.”
The reigning world champion finished third in Barcelona, aided in part by Antonelli’s late retirement and Charles Leclerc crashing during Q3 qualifying for Ferrari.
Despite the podium, Norris acknowledged the size of the gap McLaren now faces at the front of the field, describing the situation with urgency heading into the next round.
“Everyone back in the factory is doing the best they can,” Norris said. “Some things take time, but we need to really accelerate the progress at the minute because we want to stay in the fight.”
McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri finished fifth in Barcelona, crossing the line 59 seconds behind Hamilton and 35 seconds off the podium, highlighting the scale of the performance gap.
Piastri noted that Ferrari’s new parts worked particularly well in Barcelona’s low-grip, tyre-sensitive conditions, which appeared to amplify the strengths of the Italian team’s car.
“They’ve got a lot of downforce, probably the most downforce out of everybody,” Piastri told Sky Sports. “But when you need to protect the tyres, I think that helps you.”
Piastri also reflected on his own difficult afternoon, saying: “So yes, clearly some work for us to do. There’s work for me to do because it was not an easy race.”
The Barcelona result leaves McLaren third in the constructors’ standings, 121 points behind Mercedes and 49 points adrift of Ferrari, though they remain 52 clear of fourth-placed Red Bull.
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