Norris attributes McLaren’s progress in F1 to the characteristics of the track, not to improvements.

Lando Norris, British driver, competed for the McLaren team in the Australian Grand Prix, held at Albert Park, Melbourne, on March 23, 2024. In the qualifying session, Norris and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, achieved their best performance of the season, securing fourth and sixth place, respectively. However, due to a penalty for Sergio Perez, they were able to move up one position each. Norris attributes the success not only to the improvements made to the McLaren car but also to the unique characteristics of the Albert Park Circuit. He believes that the track layout played in their favor compared to other teams. Norris acknowledges that McLaren made some minor adjustments to the MCL38, but he believes that their good performance is mainly due to external factors. He states that if they were to race in Saudi Arabia again, they would not change their approach. Norris acknowledges that McLaren still has a gap to fill to reach the leading teams, Red Bull and Ferrari. Despite the good performance, he recognizes that there is still a significant distance to cover to reach pole position. Norris remains optimistic, however, noting that gains and losses can happen quickly in Formula 1 and that mistakes can be easily made, as demonstrated by Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc during the qualifying session. Norris believes that McLaren has maximized their results and attributes their success to both their own performance and the quality of their car.