Lando Norris says McLaren has shown it is on the right track for 2024 with the way it turned its season around, and is hopeful that new arrivals will boost its momentum.
McLaren was a long way off the pace at the start of the season and admitted its launch car was not at the level it wanted it to be, but was adamant that it had a development plan in place to improve its performance. That claim proved to be true when a major upgrade was introduced in Austria and the team quickly became a podium contender, with Norris just missing out on fourth in the drivers’ championship after a run of seven podiums in the final 13 rounds.
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“For us to catch Mercedes, for us to catch Ferrari… in terms of pace we’ve been behind them for two years,” Norris said. “They’ve not really taken any steps forward and we’ve taken a massive step forward, with plenty more things we know we can improve on.
“So, I think it’s a good time for us. A few more bits of the puzzle to put together, but we found the key pieces, and we know what direction to go in. I’m really very proud of the whole team, because if we were in Bahrain now, and I looked ahead, I’d be dreading the season already.
“To come away with seven podiums or something, and all the great moments we’ve had, were definitely not expected, and I’ve got to thank the team for all of that. A world record pit stop, the team have done an amazing job in so many areas – maybe not the weekend we wanted to end the season with – but nevertheless I‘m proud and we’re on the right track, so I’m excited for next year.”
The likes of Red Bull’s Rob Marshall and Davide Sanchez from Ferrari will join at the start of next year, and Norris wants to kick off the new season in a more competitive position than this year.
“I’m very excited,” he said. “The thing is, if we just start the season how we were in the middle, we’re P2 in the constructors’ and P2 in the drivers’ [championships]. I know it doesn’t always work like that, but we’re on the right track.
“We’ve got some new hirings and the guys coming in ’24. Maybe not everything that they can bring to us we’re going to have on the car straight away, but some things that we have learned already from the past four, five, six months, from the progress we’ve made… we’ve learned a lot.
“We’re finally on the right track and we know which direction in which to push. I just want to start the season off well. If we can start well in Bahrain then I’ll be a lot more excited.”