By Joe Murphy
Weeks after signing a new multi-year deal with the team, star driver Lando Norris has admitted that McLaren have not yet made the progress he would have hoped so far this season, with the teams failure to to eradicate the weaknesses in the team’s car for 2024 still very evident.
McLaren and their new car have made a solid yet not spectacular start to the new campaign with two double points finishes in the opening two Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri coming home in fourth last time out was the best result of the season so far. Lando could only manage eighth.
The team sit provisionally in third place in the early Constructors’ Championship which is an improvement on where they were this time last year. However, they were certainly the second quickest carfor the latter stages of 2023 and have gone backwards in terms of pace to challenge Red Bull.
Making comments ahead of the Australian Grand Prix next weekend, Norris said: “I think we’ve made some good steps in many areas, just pure development steps like every team would be making, but in terms of us as a McLaren and characteristics we’ve had as a McLaren car, definitely not as much as I wanted and was hoping for over the winter.”
If McLaren can progress this season like they did last year then they should be out in front in no time. However, failure to up their game and Mercedes and perhaps even Aston Martin could rival them in terms of positions and points.
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