Lando Norris and the McLaren team are expected to deliver a performance that can surpass Red Bull in Formula 1. Red Bull and Max Verstappen have been dominating the sport since the second half of the 2022 season. Verstappen’s winning streak from the historic 2023 season continued as he won the first two races of the 2024 season. However, he faced a setback at the Australian GP due to mechanical problems that forced him to retire.
Due to Red Bull’s dominance, Norris believes that no other teams will be able to catch up to them until the 2026 season when new regulations will be implemented. He believes that even this year, Red Bull’s advantage is so significant that it will lead to wider gaps on the track in the 2025 season. Norris stated, “I think for things to really shake up, you need to wait until 2026. Now there’s not really anything between the power units between teams, but a lot more between cars. I expect Red Bull, being the team that they are, to always carry an advantage because they’re ahead. I think that could potentially be a big shake-up for every team, including the power units probably being one of the biggest things.”
Norris also highlighted that Red Bull’s aerodynamic advantage is the key to their pace, rather than the power unit. With rumors of upgrades from Ferrari and McLaren themselves, it remains to be seen if Red Bull and Verstappen can maintain their dominance.
Norris expressed satisfaction with the overall improvements made to the MCL38. However, he has concerns about driving at Zandvoort, his home track, which exposes the car’s weaknesses. Zandvoort is known for its low-speed nature, with 6 out of 14 corners being slow-speed corners. It will be a challenging track for McLaren, and only time will tell if they can address their issues with slow speed cornering before the race in late August.