Lando Norris has had a brilliant 5 years in Formula 1 with McLaren. He was under the shadow of Carlos Sainz in the first 2 years. However, after the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo, he emerged as the true team leader and their star driver. He has consistently been the best of the rest in Formula 1. It’s not his fault that his career has coincided with 2 back-to-back dominant spells. This year, he’s been the one to give Red Bull and Max Verstappen a run for their money. He believes McLaren still have a lot left in their tank for 2024, as reported by Autosport.
Strong Consistent Form
The biggest factor that separates Lando Norris and McLaren from Ferrari and Mercedes is their consistency. Ferrari had arguably the fastest car at the start of 2022. Mercedes has shown flashes of brilliance at various events during their last two Formula 1 campaigns.
However, Lando Norris and McLaren have consistently challenged Red Bull. In the past 6 races, Lando Norris has scored 5 podiums. In Mexico, he started from P17 and still finished P5. Ferrari’s structural difficulties and Mercedes’ slow cars have hampered them from challenging Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
Also Read:
Sebastian Vettel says “You can never rule out” on Formula 1 return
Felipe Massa & legal team extend deadline for Formula 1 & FIA Response
The Doubts
McLaren have brought a whole lot of upgrades throughout the 2023 Formula 1 season. Meanwhile, Red Bull shifted their focus to their 2024 car development way before anyone else.
This means that a lot of people are wondering if McLaren have anything left in the tank to surprise Red Bull in 2024 and to enable Lando Norris to take the fight to Max Verstappen.
“I’ll be optimistic”
Lando Norris feels confident about his and McLaren’s chances against Red Bull and Max Verstappen next year.
He said, “Maybe. I’ve just been just saying to Max, since we bought this upgrade to Austria, I’ve been the second highest scoring driver on the grid. I think we’ve been the second highest scoring team, potentially.”
Also Read: Las Vegas GP: When to watch Practice, Qualifying, Race, and the Opening Ceremony
“And for us to go from where we were in Bahrain to getting close and talking about fighting a Red Bull, I think are very good signs for us. We know we still have plenty more things to come next year, so I’m excited.”