Norris takes swipe at Russell after yet another retirement in Monaco GP

With his retirement in Monaco, the reigning world champion has now scored three zeros in the opening six races of the season. It marks a second consecutive DNF following his retirement in Montreal, having also failed to start the Chinese Grand Prix. His team-mate endured a similarly disappointing weekend, capping off one of the worst weekends in McLaren's recent history.

Asked whether he was concerned by the MCL40's reliability compared to Mercedes, Norris was quick to point out while speaking to GPblog and other media that McLaren is not the only team dealing with recurring technical issues. The Briton noted that Russell has also endured a difficult season in terms of reliability and setbacks, arguing that both McLaren and Mercedes have faced their fair share of problems during the opening races of the campaign.

Norris also admitted he is becoming increasingly concerned about reliability after already reaching his third power unit and third battery of the season, leaving him at risk of grid penalties later in the year. He acknowledged that recurring technical issues have become a frustrating pattern across recent race weekends, but stressed that the problem is not exclusive to McLaren, pointing out that Mercedes has also endured its share of reliability setbacks

Andrea Stella admitted McLaren had expected a difficult weekend in Monaco and revealed that two weaknesses of the MCL40 played a major role in the team's struggles throughout the event. According to the McLaren team principal, the first issue concerns the car's overall grip levels, particularly from an aerodynamic standpoint, an area the team is already targeting for further development. The second factor stems from one of the MCL40's traditional strengths: its ability to look after its tyres.

While that characteristic is usually an advantage, Stella explained that circuits where drivers need to generate tyre temperature quickly can expose a weakness, making it harder for McLaren to unlock peak performance. As a result, both Norris and Piastri found themselves on the back foot throughout the Monaco weekend.