McLaren concluded the 2023 F1 season with the second fastest car, behind Red Bull. However, their performance at the start of the 2024 season has been satisfactory, but not particularly impressive.
After implementing a significant upgrade during the season, McLaren managed to overcome a challenging start in 2023. By the end of the season, they even found themselves competing for podiums and pole positions. Unfortunately, in 2024, they are currently battling with Mercedes for the title of the third best team after just two races.
Following the conclusion of the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Norris expressed his dissatisfaction with the progress made by the MCL38 team. In an interview with Sky Sports F1, he acknowledged that while some positive steps had been taken in various areas, they did not fully meet his expectations and desires for the McLaren car.
Norris stated: « We have made some notable advancements in certain aspects, like pure development steps that all teams go through. However, in terms of the distinctive characteristics that define McLaren as a team, we have not achieved as much as I had hoped during the winter. »
He emphasized that the team is aware of these shortcomings and is actively working to improve. Although they arrived at the Bahrain test with various strategies and solutions to address these weaknesses, they have not yet identified a definitive path to follow.
Norris added: « We still have a lot of work ahead to address these areas. Improving these aspects will not only bring me greater satisfaction as a driver, but will also allow me to extract more performance from the car, improve consistency, and ultimately enhance the overall speed of the vehicle. »
Although admitting to be dissatisfied with the current situation, Norris expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the team during the winter period.
As the F1 season progresses to the third race in Melbourne, all teams will introduce more updates to their cars. McLaren is no exception, although Norris has revealed that these updates will not be major.
He explained: « Some of these updates are minor adjustments that may result in only a difference of a few hundredths of a second here and there. However, when you accumulate three or four of these adjustments, they can potentially add up to a tenth of a second, which represents a significant improvement. »
Norris emphasized that these updates are standard practice for all teams and are not specifically targeting their main weaknesses as a team at the moment. Instead, they contribute to the overall development of the car and help improve its performance.
In the first two races of the season, Norris achieved sixth and eighth places in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, respectively. Currently, he has 12 points and occupies the eighth position in the F1 Drivers’ Championship.
