Edited by Deepali Verma
Lando Norris, renewing his contract with McLaren, is convinced that the team will be in contention for race victories in 2024. The Briton is of the view that he may have to wait a bit longer for a title challenge. McLaren got to be the talk of the town last season when it went from struggling to collect points to frequently competing for podiums, credits of which are due to the right modifications at the right time applied following a technical rearrangement.
Norris was accelerating closer to McLaren’s first Grand Prix victory since 2021 on multiple occasions, finishing in second place a dozen times, while teammate Oscar Piastri won the Qatar Sprint race.
After Piastri’s new contract, Norris has committed to a “multi-year” agreement to stay at McLaren as he is “convinced” that the team comes with “everything we need” to make a return to the sport’s top level.
“It’s both the team’s goal as well as a personal goal that I’ve always had. I am convinced that I and the team are capable of doing it,” as quoted from Norris’ statement to Formula 1.
“Everything that goes on day to day basis in the McLaren garage, the people, the work ethic, the mentality as well as the approach to everything,” he added.
When questioned about his belief that whether McLaren can take the next step and fight for the title, Norris labelled it as “a difficult question” to answer but believes that the momentum the team has been generating means it isn’t too far away.
“There were moments when we were close to victory last year and in a few races we were not miles away from a Red Bull. And once you think of it, the Red Bull was the most competitive car ever in F1, and in a few races we were extremely, extremely close,” Norris stated.
“We’re the closest we’ve ever been with respect to race victory since I’ve been here and for many, many years, however fighting for a championship is a rather big step.”
McLaren is expected to hit the track with their new F1 car at Silverstone on February 14, having previously given a sneak-peak of the livery for Norris and Piastri’s MCL38s.
“In terms of pressure, I think that everyone is in a decent position, but as soon as you mention fighting for a championship, everyone’s mentality takes a shift. But I feel like I am ready to go against Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton and put up a fight against them,” he added.
