In the Australian Grand Prix season opening race, Norris impressed in his debut qualifying session starting in 8th, while Sainz was forced to start from the penultimate row of the grid in 18th, after being stuck in traffic on his final qualifying run.
The race was less successful, Norris contested for points, however he got held up by Antonio Giovinazzi which hampered his effort, he ended the race outside of the points in 12th.
Sainz retired on lap 9 with mechanical issues to his power unit.

At the next round in Bahrain, both cars managed to get into the third part of qualifying for the first time since the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix.
Sainz qualifyed in 7th and Norris in tenth, which later became P9, after Romain Grosjean received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Norris during qualifying.
On race day, Sainz made a good start, making the jump on Kevin Magnussen, and was contesting for P5.
However, Sainz would suffer front wing damage on lap 4 after making contact with Max Verstappen, and he had to pit as a result which dropped him to last place.
He retired on the closing stages of the race with gearbox issues.
Norris meanwhile would have a strong race, finishing P6, earning McLaren's first points of the season.


At the 1000th Formula One Grand Prix race in China, McLaren struggled in qualifying, with both cars getting eliminated in Q2, recording the first time McLaren's cars missed Q3 in the 2019 season.
Sainz would start the race in P14 with Norris alongside him in P15.
The race was worse for the team, as both cars would collide with Daniil Kvyat at turn 6 on the first lap, which dropped both of them to the last positions.
Norris would later retire due to damage from the collision.
The team left the Grand Prix with no points.

Norris returned to Q3 in Azerbaijan, qualifying in P7, while Sainz was knocked out again.
He would, however, manage to rebound in the race, finishing in 7th after chasing Sergio Pérez for the majority of the race.
Norris would follow in P8.
In the Australian Grand Prix season opening race, Norris impressed in his debut qualifying session starting in 8th, while Sainz was forced to start from the penultimate row of the grid in 18th, after being stuck in traffic on his final qualifying run. The race was less successful, Norris contested for points, however he got held up by Antonio Giovinazzi which hampered his effort, he ended the race outside of the points in 12th. Sainz retired on lap 9 with mechanical issues to his power unit.
At the next round in Bahrain, both cars managed to get into the third part of qualifying for the first time since the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix. Sainz qualifyed in 7th and Norris in tenth, which later became P9, after Romain Grosjean received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Norris during qualifying. On race day, Sainz made a good start, making the jump on Kevin Magnussen, and was contesting for P5. However, Sainz would suffer front wing damage on lap 4 after making contact with Max Verstappen, and he had to pit as a result which dropped him to last place. He retired on the closing stages of the race with gearbox issues. Norris meanwhile would have a strong race, finishing P6, earning McLaren's first points of the season.

At the 1000th Formula One Grand Prix race in China, McLaren struggled in qualifying, with both cars getting eliminated in Q2, recording the first time McLaren's cars missed Q3 in the 2019 season. Sainz would start the race in P14 with Norris alongside him in P15. The race was worse for the team, as both cars would collide with Daniil Kvyat at turn 6 on the first lap, which dropped both of them to the last positions. Norris would later retire due to damage from the collision. The team left the Grand Prix with no points. 
Norris returned to Q3 in Azerbaijan, qualifying in P7, while Sainz was knocked out again. He would, however, manage to rebound in the race, finishing in 7th after chasing Sergio Pérez for the majority of the race. Norris would follow in P8.
McLaren MCL34