Lando Norris’ sensational win in Miami makes McLaren one of the favorites to go after Red Bull in the races to come. However, Norris cautions fans that they still aren’t at the level of the Milton-Keynes-based outfit, or Ferrari for that matter.
When asked if finishing P1 at the 2024 Miami GP gives him more confidence that he and McLaren can win more races this season, Norris told Sky Sports News,
“Absolutely. We can win more races this year. I think we can compete against Red Bull, I think we are looking at an exciting season between us, Red Bull, and Ferrari. I think we still have work to do. We are not at the level they are just yet“.
Norris’ point stems from the fact that McLaren has not consistently outperformed Red Bull and Ferrari this year. The Bristol-born driver finished on the podium twice before, once behind Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in P3 (Australia), and once behind Max Verstappen in P2 (China).
He emerged second best behind both Ferrari and Red Bull on his previous top-three finishes which shows that overall, McLaren may not be as strong as its rivals at the moment.
For McLaren, the upgrade they brought to Miami worked wonders and Norris capitalized on it perfectly. Going forward, the 24-year-old will be looking for more wins, as will his teammate Oscar Piastri, who is yet to win a Grand Prix race.
However, with Ferrari and Red Bull set to bring in upgrades to Imola, McLaren could fall behind the two once again.
Ferrari and Red Bull all set to bring upgrades to Imola
Imola will mark Ferrari’s first home race of the season and with the upgrades they are set to bring, the expectations from the Tifosi will be high. According to journalist Piergiuseppe Donadoni, the Maranello-based outfit plan on testing their upgrades behind closed doors before showing their work to the world.
ESCLUSIVA @formu1a__uno: Ferrari girerà a Fiorano con la SF-24 2.0 tra giovedì 9 e venerdì 10. Simil pre Austria 23, debutterà quell’importante pacchetto di aggiornamenti che il team di Maranello porterà in pista ufficialmente da Imola #FORMU1A https://t.co/iI46nc0hoc
— Piergiuseppe Donadoni (@SmilexTech) May 7, 2024
Meanwhile, Auto Motor und Sport has reported that Red Bull will bring another upgrade to both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s cars.
Both them and Ferrari have been discreet about their upgrades, with limited information available, thereby adding to the intrigue.
Imola marks the first race of the European leg of the 2024 campaign and both Red Bull and Ferrari will hope to have a strong race. As for McLaren, they will bank on the upgrades brought in at Miami to deliver optimal results.
