McLaren turn up at the Singapore Grand Prix under pressure after a troubled stretch of races. Team principal Andrea Stella admitted the MCL40 dropped off following recent development work, and the team accepted responsibility for a persistent issue affecting Lando Norris.

Norris called out a straight-line speed deficit as a real concern and said he was not confident the team could fix it before Marina Bay.

A tyre strategy call during the Malaysian Grand Prix, which saw Oscar Piastri pitted under questionable timing, was later characterised by the team as an outright mistake. Singapore's slow and unforgiving street track is considered a weak circuit for the car in its present state, heaping more stress on McLaren as they prepare for the race weekend.