McLaren arrive at the Singapore Grand Prix under pressure after a tough stretch of races. Team principal Andrea Stella confirmed the MCL40 lost performance following recent upgrades, and the team accepted responsibility for a ongoing flaw affecting Lando Norris.

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

A tyre strategy call during the Malaysian Grand Prix, which saw Oscar Piastri pitted under questionable timing, was later called out as an outright mistake. Singapore's narrow, technical layout is considered a bad match for the car in its present state, heaping more stress on McLaren heading into the race weekend.