Lando Norris, a British driver for McLaren, has acknowledged that he is still adjusting his driving style to maximize the performance of the team’s latest Formula 1 car, despite being content with their overall progress. McLaren experienced a remarkable turnaround last season, with Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri achieving top-three finishes after initially struggling to avoid elimination in the early stages of qualifying. However, despite Norris securing seven podiums and enjoying his most successful season in Formula 1, he admits that he still doesn’t feel completely at ease behind the wheel of the MCL60. While McLaren’s 2024 car is an improvement over its predecessor, Norris reveals that the MCL38 still possesses certain characteristics that he isn’t fond of. In the recent race in Saudi Arabia, Piastri outperformed Norris, placing him ahead of his teammate in the championship standings. Norris acknowledges the progress McLaren has made in various areas, but admits that the car’s characteristics haven’t aligned with his expectations and desires for the team. Nonetheless, he remains optimistic about the ongoing development and improvement efforts. Although McLaren arrived at the testing sessions with several ideas to address these weaknesses, they haven’t yet identified a clear path forward. Consequently, there is still much work to be done to address these larger areas of concern, which would ultimately enhance Norris’s driving experience, improve consistency, and increase the overall speed of the car. While this presents a significant challenge, Norris remains hopeful that progress will continue to be made. While he isn’t entirely satisfied with the current situation, he is pleased with the overall progress McLaren has achieved during the winter break.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has announced that the team will be implementing minor upgrades in the upcoming races, with a significant upgrade package planned for the summer. As the competition intensifies among the teams trailing behind Red Bull, McLaren driver Lando Norris recognizes the importance of these incremental developments for the team’s success. Norris explained that these updates may only result in a few hundredths of a second improvement in various areas of the car, but when combined, they can make a difference of up to a tenth of a second. While these updates are common among all teams, McLaren is focused on making their upgrades more substantial and efficient. These continuous developments aim to enhance the car’s performance and will be introduced regularly, with larger upgrades scheduled for the future.