McLaren F1’s recent rise in the 2023 Formula 1 season was a surprising development to many, but it seems to have been in the works for some time.
British driver [autotag]Lando Norris[/autotag] spoke to media before the Hungarian GP in July, and according to Formula1.com, his second-place finish during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone was in part due to upgrades that the team had brought the race before — when he placed fourth during the Austrian GP.
“The upgrade we brought to Austria is the biggest upgrade McLaren as a team have brought in the last five years,” Norris said. “In terms of having a car, making improvement to it, it’s the biggest improvement we’ve had in my five years of being at McLaren, that’s a fact.”
Those upgrades have certainly paid off. With five top-5 finishes from Austria onward, McLaren’s 2023 challenger looks to be one of the fastest cars on the grid.
Norris did, however, mention that the work isn’t done. He said that the McLaren car is still a bit difficult to drive, and that although that aspect of it is easier to manage with the team out ahead, he’s hoping that they can change that aspect of the ride in the coming years.
“I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but we have yet, over the last five years, to make that step in slow speed, in handling, in driveability, disregarding load and absolute grip let’s say,” Norris said. “So, for me, a bigger step would be in how we drive the car, how easy it is to drive the car, then just adding ten more points of load in the slow speed, because that’s only going to get us so far up the order, I’d rather have both.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=10]