Lando Norris Claims McLaren Still “Needs More” Before Equalizing Against Red Bull and Ferrari on Pace

Lando Norris, after 110 races, finally registered his name among the F1 Grand Prix winners in Miami. The upgrades brought by McLaren worked wonders to put themselves in a strong position against Red Bull and Ferrari. However, Norris has taken a conservative approach and called upon the engineers to do better to challenge the reigning champions more often.

Speaking at the Emilia Romagna GP press conference, he said, “We need more if we’re going to challenge Ferrari more consistently, if we’re going to challenge Red Bull more consistently. But the team are doing a great job. They made some good steps and we have more things hopefully coming in the future. It’s what we need to be there more often.”

Good to be back. The air smells good pic.twitter.com/jhlHZblMwA

— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) May 16, 2024

After the comment, presser host Tom Clarkson asked Norris where he saw McLaren in the pecking order. Without a second thought, the Briton put his team in third in his honest assessment. This was despite him earlier admitting to be in a better position to race on the Imola track.

Lando Norris maintained a low-key opinion even of his maiden race win in Miami. He talked about being lucky on certain occasions. However, he did admit things started to look better as the race weekend progressed.

Ultimately, his car was faster than the rest on the grid. Norris confessed that all those circumstances that led to his win were all that racing was about.

Certain variables have to play in a driver’s favor for him to finish higher than expected. Fortunately, the safety car and Max Verstappen’s collision with the bollard played in his favor. The Dutchman’s car suffered floor damage as a result, and this resulted in the loss of some crucial downforce.

Is Lando Norris bluffing?

Before the start of the Chinese GP weekend, Lando Norris confessed to facing issues in slow corners. Those are present aplenty on the Shanghai track and many expected him to struggle as a result.

What Norris did not reveal was some minor tweaks the team made to tackle the issue. As he finished P2 in the main race, many believed the earlier comment was an attempt to downplay McLaren’s abilities.

I’ll remember this forever. Thank you everyone ❤️ pic.twitter.com/aN8BWiGoMX

— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) May 8, 2024

His recent comments on their prospects going ahead sound similar. However, the honest assessment of McLaren’s chances on the Imola track is a welcome change. Anyway, the long corner weakness does not hold much sway on this track.

There is, however, a lot at stake at the Emilia Romagna GP. The competition between the top three has effectively turned into an upgrade battle.

Red Bull are no longer guaranteed race wins as Lando Norris showed in Miami. But the Austrian team is ready to bring an extensive upgrade package themselves. While they gauge the effectiveness of the changes, Ferrari would do that too with a slew of upgrades to the SF-24.