Lando Norris, McLaren driver, believes that the team can consistently achieve podiums in Formula 1 in 2024, once they address their significant performance deficiency at lower speeds. Norris secured McLaren’s first podium in Australia in a decade, with his teammate Oscar Piastri finishing in fourth place, marking the team’s best start to a season since 2012. Both drivers acknowledged that this performance indicated McLaren’s competitiveness against Ferrari throughout the race at Albert Park.
Despite trailing Charles Leclerc during the initial pit stops, Norris stated that he had the pace to challenge the Ferrari drivers. He said: “I think we expected to have good pace, but maybe not enough to keep up with Charles; honestly, I would say our pace was probably a bit better than Charles’ today.” Norris emphasized that McLaren’s ability to compete with Ferrari is a positive sign for the team, considering that Ferrari currently has a faster car.
Piastri also expressed surprise at McLaren’s performance, stating: “We were a bit faster than we expected, we were able to keep up with the Ferraris, and that was a positive surprise.” He further highlighted the team’s ability to stay close to Ferrari as a promising sign for the future.
McLaren’s strength in high-speed corners has become more prominent since last year’s mid-season upgrades, which put them back in contention at the front of the grid. The team anticipates an even more competitive weekend at the fast and flowing Suzuka circuit, where Norris and Piastri secured a double podium in 2023.
However, Norris acknowledges that McLaren still needs to improve its performance in low-speed corners to challenge teams like Ferrari on all types of circuits. He stated: “If we look at Suzuka last year, it was one of our best weekends: two cars on the podium, only Red Bull ahead of us.” Norris recognizes that Red Bull and Ferrari currently have an advantage over McLaren, but he remains confident that when they compete on tracks that suit the characteristics of their car, they can be competitive.
McLaren’s weakness in low-speed corners is a key area for improvements. Norris believes that if they can make even small improvements in this aspect, they will have the confidence to challenge for podiums and score valuable points in most race weekends. He acknowledges that there are still some areas that need to be refined, but the team is actively working to address them and is optimistic that things will come together.
© 2024
