The 2023 season has witnessed a remarkable resurgence from McLaren, and their recent performance strongly indicates their emergence as formidable championship contenders. After securing a podium finish at the Brazilian GP, Lando Norris hinted at McLaren’s potential to challenge Max Verstappen and Red Bull for the title in 2024, underlining his confidence in the team’s extraordinary progress this year.
At the start of the season, the Woking-based team faced substantial challenges, struggling to keep pace with their rivals and often ranking as the second-slowest team on the grid. In the first eight races leading up to the Austrian GP, they amassed a mere 17 points. However, their fortunes underwent a dramatic turnaround following a significant upgrade introduced during the Austrian GP.
Since the implementation of these upgrades, McLaren has undergone a remarkable transformation, consistently emerging as the second-fastest team, trailing only Red Bull. With nine podium finishes to their credit, they currently boast the second-highest number of podium appearances in the season, with Lando Norris contributing seven of them, marking the most successful season of his Formula 1 career.
When discussing McLaren’s progress, Norris expressed his optimism for the future during an interview with Lastwordonsports.com, highlighting the team’s promising trajectory:
“Since we bought this upgrade to Austria, I’ve been the second-highest-scoring driver on the grid… Considering we’re talking about fighting the Red Bull, I think it’s still a very, very good thing – what we’ve achieved this year.”
Lando Norris asserts the promising development bodes well for McLaren in 2024
The evolution of McLaren, from a struggling team to one that now contends with Red Bull and Verstappen, represents a substantial achievement. As Norris emphasized:
“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.”
McLaren’s future appears incredibly promising as they look ahead to the 2024 season. Lando Norris is eagerly anticipating the team’s planned advancements. However, in the world of Formula 1, certainty remains elusive, a reality acknowledged by both Norris and McLaren. Despite their optimism, they approach the future with a sense of caution.
‘I don’t want to think of that just now. There’s no point thinking of it until next year, but I’ll be optimistic, and I believe we can do it as a team.”
McLaren has successfully surpassed Aston Martin in the Formula 1 standings, securing the fourth position and narrowing the gap for the third spot to a mere 40 points. Additionally, Lando Norris has positioned himself ahead of both Ferrari drivers. The team is now on the verge of challenging Fernando Alonso for the third spot in the standings, with only a slim 3-point margin setting them apart. If Norris accomplishes this feat, it will represent the pinnacle of his career, marking his best-ever finish.
