McLaren aims for a stronger start to the next season. Lando Norris believes that McLaren has indeed made progress with their 2024 Formula 1 car, the MCL38. However, he acknowledges that the team still has a significant gap to close in comparison to Red Bull and Ferrari.
Last season, Norris had his best performance to date, achieving seven podium finishes after the MCL60 underwent significant changes throughout the season. This transformation improved McLaren’s prospects.
Surprisingly, after the 2023 summer break, only Max Verstappen, the title winner, scored more points than Norris. This has raised expectations for McLaren in the upcoming season.
Although Norris is optimistic about the team’s progress, he understands that their gains will only hold meaning when compared to the achievements of their competitors.
“Do I believe we have taken a step forward? Definitely,” Norris shared with the press. “Do I think we have made significant improvements? Yes. However, ultimately, we can never really know where we stand in comparison to the others. I believe we are in a favorable position.
“We had a decent car towards the end of last season, and I believe we have definitely taken some steps in the right direction. However, we still have a long way to go to catch up with Red Bull, or rather, a very long way behind Red Bull, and we are still behind Ferrari.
“Therefore, we still have a lot of work to do, but we have also learned a lot in the past few days that we can implement before next week.”
This sentiment is a stark contrast to the previous year when McLaren faced numerous issues during testing and the race in Bahrain, leaving them at a disadvantage at the start of the season.
“I believe the problems we encountered in the past years were mainly due to a lack of preparation and knowledge in certain areas,” Norris explained.
“This year, I believe we are much better prepared in all aspects, and I am very pleased with that. The team has done an exceptional job in ensuring that everything is ready and without flaws.”
Despite some disruptions in their races, Norris remains optimistic about the team’s overall outlook. He believes that McLaren has entered this season, this test, and this year in a much better position than the past three to four years.
“I believe we have entered this season with more knowledge, expertise, and a much better car to start with. I am excited, and I have been since the beginning, knowing that we are starting the year in a favorable position. I am looking forward to seeing how we can turn things around because we did an excellent job last year.
“The team has performed well, and I am very pleased with their efforts. There is still more to come.”
