Lando Norris, a driver for McLaren, believes that the team can consistently achieve podium finishes in Formula 1 in 2024 once they address their significant performance deficit in slower speeds. Norris achieved McLaren’s first podium finish in Australia in a decade, with his teammate Oscar Piastri finishing in fourth place, marking the team’s best start to a season since 2012. Both drivers acknowledged that this performance indicated McLaren’s competitiveness against Ferrari throughout the race at Albert Park.
Despite falling behind Charles Leclerc during the initial pit stops, Norris maintained that he had the pace to challenge the Ferrari drivers. He stated, “I think we expected to have good pace, but maybe not enough to keep up with Charles; honestly, I would say our pace was probably a bit better than Charles today.” Norris emphasized that McLaren’s ability to compete with Ferrari is a positive sign for the team, considering that Ferrari currently has a faster car.
Piastri also expressed his surprise at McLaren’s performance, stating, “We were a bit quicker than we expected, we could hang with the Ferraris, and that was a positive surprise.” He further highlighted the team’s ability to stay close to Ferrari as a promising sign for the future.
McLaren’s strength in high-speed corners has become more prominent since the team’s mid-season upgrades last year, which propelled them back into contention at the front of the grid. The team anticipates an even more competitive weekend at the fast and flowing Suzuka circuit, where Norris and Piastri achieved a double podium finish in 2023.
However, Norris acknowledges that McLaren still needs to improve their performance in slow-speed corners to challenge teams like Ferrari on every track layout. He stated, “If we look back to Suzuka last year, it was one of our best weekends: two cars on the podium, just the Red Bull ahead of us.” Norris recognizes that Red Bull and Ferrari currently have an advantage over McLaren, but he remains confident that when they compete on tracks that suit their car’s strengths, they can be competitive.
McLaren’s weakness in slow-speed corners is a key area for improvement. Norris believes that if they can make even slight improvements in this aspect, they will have the confidence to challenge for podium finishes and earn valuable points on most race weekends. He acknowledges that there are still some areas that need refinement, but the team is actively working to address them and is optimistic that things will fall into place.