Lando Norris smirked as he snapped back at questions from reporters regarding the current McLaren situation and his future with the team.
The Brit signed a contract last year which keeps him with McLaren until the end of the 2025 season. But the team, which was on the rise, has seen its momentum stall somewhat ever since pen was put to paper on that deal.
Inconsistent results last year mean they finished fifth in the championship behind rivals Alpine. Norris still managed seventh in the drivers' standings – 'best of the rest' behind those representing the top three teams – but his ambition is for more.
And that doesn't look likely this season. McLaren chief Zak Brown admits "development targets were missed" for the MCL60 car. But even that didn't account for a disastrous weekend in Bahrain which saw both cars plagued by reliability problems.
The Woking outfit's issues have led to the predicament being described as a "crisis" by some. But Norris took special exception to that word as it was used in a question posed to him as he spoke with reporters in Jeddah on Thursday.
He glowered slightly at the question before replying: "Everyone makes it sound a lot worse than it is. Calling it a crisis? It's far from that at all, and it's nothing close to it.
"It was made very clear very early on that we're far from where we want to be, for McLaren's expectations, and who we are as a team. We're far from where we want to be, but we have a very clear plan."
Norris was similarly irritable as he responded to a question about his future with the team. It has been suggested that he could have his head turned if Ferrari or Red Bull came calling in the next couple of years, but the Brit insists he pays little attention to what is churned out by the rumour mill.
He added: "I guess I'm at a point where it doesn't affect me in any way. I'm fine with it to an extent, apart from when it's just complete BS that people try and come up with, and completely fake stories that people make up.
"To a certain point, harsh criticism is acceptable, it makes sense. You don't like it when it's too much and people in the team start to get affected by it... It's tough, it's the world we live in, it's just media. It's just what you've got to deal with sometimes. I'm fine with it, the team are fine with it."
