Lando Norris, a British driver for McLaren, has issued a challenge to the current engineers at McLaren. He wants them to demonstrate that the team can achieve victory in Formula 1 without relying on the expertise of renowned designer Adrian Newey. Newey, who spent almost two decades at Red Bull, will be available on the market next season. Although Ferrari is considered the favorite to secure Newey’s services, there is speculation that he may return to McLaren, where he previously worked from 1995 to 2005. Despite the potential benefits of having Newey on board, Norris has expressed his support for McLaren’s current team.
When asked about the potential impact of Newey’s arrival at McLaren, Norris admitted uncertainty. He acknowledged that any team with Newey would likely progress due to his exceptional mindset. Norris believes it would be an honor for any team to have someone as talented as Newey, especially considering Red Bull’s consistency over the past decade. However, Norris also emphasized his satisfaction with McLaren’s current team. He expressed confidence in the team’s abilities and highlighted the desire to challenge and surpass Red Bull next season. While it would be impressive to achieve this without Newey, Norris acknowledged that they would never turn down the opportunity to work with him.
Stella, McLaren’s team principal, suggested during the previous race in China that the Woking-based team needed another year to be in a position to challenge Red Bull.
Like Sergio Perez of Red Bull, Norris believes that the Austrian team will have enough depth to avoid a decline when Newey departs in 12 months.
When asked if McLaren would have an easier time catching up to Red Bull without Newey’s involvement, Norris replied: “Um… yes, yes, I mean… if everything that is attributed to Red Bull is just because of him, then of course you would say yes. I’m sure Adrian is not the only smart person at Red Bull.
“They are not successful just because they have a good car, they excel in all areas, including reliability, pit stops, and overall performance.
“That doesn’t solely depend on Adrian. So, it’s not like they will lose him and suddenly struggle. They are still an exceptional team that will continue to perform at a high level.
“Hopefully, some of the unique characteristics and smart strategies they possess may not develop as quickly.
“I believe we have many highly intelligent people, we are on the right track, and if we had the current team a few years ago, we would definitely be much closer, if not at the same level as Red Bull.”
