Lando Norris claims McLaren has ‘more’ to give in the upcoming Formula 1 season after a string of positive results in the second half of the 2023 campaign.
McLaren enjoyed a remarkable resurgence with the innovations introduced at the Austrian Grand Prix, culminating in a remarkable nine podium finishes between Norris and Oscar Piastri.
The revival also means that McLaren has become Red Bull’s closest competitor, with Norris snatching pole from Max Verstappen in the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race.
Although it seems unlikely that McLaren will compete with Mercedes and Ferrari for second place in the constructors’ championship given their slow start to the campaign, Norris considers the recent performances of they are the catalyst for the team’s future plans.
“Since we bought this upgrade in Austria, I’m the second best driver on the grid,” said Norris. “I think we have the potential to be the second highest scoring team.
“Considering we’re talking about fighting Red Bull, I think what we achieved this year is still a very, very good thing.
“We’re talking about one of the The greatest Formula 1 racers of all time, in one of the most dominant cars. For us to go from where we were in Bahrain to being closer and talking about fighting Red Bull, I think those are really good signs for us.
“We know we have a lot more to offer next year, so I’m very excited. There’s no point thinking about it until next year, but I’ll be optimistic. I believe we can do it as a team.
” Can Norris fight Verstappen for the race win?
Behind Verstappen, Norris is the top points scorer second in the second half of the 2023 season.
Grateful for their rivalry with Red Bull, Norris recognises the difficulty of truly contending with Verstappen on track.
Norris said after the Grand Prix from Brazil: “I think if there was a little more space or if I was a few meters shorter in the true sense black, things might have been a little different.
” “But at the same time, trying to keep Max at bay for the rest of the race was going to be a whole new challenge.
“It was good that we got to the finish line and I held on. I think this is one of my first attempts to really get over it, in my Formula 1 career, which is a good thing, but yeah, that last little thing has to be emphasized and then that we can do it more often.
McLaren will aim to maintain its impressive level of performance at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, striving for a top podium position and aspiring to take home the lead.