The second half of 2023 saw an incredible resurgence by McLaren in F1. Their drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, quickly became the best pairing on the grid, owing to their results. The latter even won a Sprint session when F1 reached Qatar. However, a race win still eludes the team, but perhaps not for long. Reports suggest Zak Brown is tired of finishing in second place and is ready to lift the winner’s trophy.
“We’ve built a faster race car in the off season so we’ll have to wait and see, we don’t know what the other teams have done but winning is certainly our ambition. Second places were great last year but we’ve had enough of them to be ready for that top step.” As quoted by TalkSport.
Norris, in particular, would be the happier of both drivers to hear these words. Despite a poor start to 2023, he ended up with the most second-place finishes of any driver on the grid. For now, the 24-year-old remains without a race win in his F1 career, but it could all change soon.
Zak Brown is confident his #McLaren team can take a step forward in 2024
“We like what we’re seeing in the wind tunnel and CFD at the moment. So we feel like we’re going to take a step forward…”#F1 #Formula1 #McLaren pic.twitter.com/P0CqT5J1ot
— The McLaren Zone (@TheMcLarenZone) February 13, 2024
Struggling at the bottom of the barrel in the first half of the 2023 season, McLaren showed great resilience to rise through the ranks. Well-timed and effective upgrade packages (especially the one in Austria) soon saw them become the second-fastest team on the grid.
The team now has a new wind tunnel in operation and continues to improve. Given the same, Brown hopes 2024 can be even better for his team but is also wary of what the other nine teams have done in the break.
2024- A year full of hope for Lando Norris
Starting the 2023 season off on the wrong foot, McLaren soon found their bearings and turned the season around. Citing the same, Norris talked about McLaren boosting their momentum for the 2024 season. The last 13 rounds saw McLaren secure 7 podiums, and Norris appreciated the team for turning things around drastically. A world-record pit stop only boosted the driver’s confidence in the team as he looks to secure his first-ever F1 race win.
That 2024 helmet from Lando Norris ✔️ pic.twitter.com/kVpXkDPnAE
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) February 13, 2024
The signings of Davide Sanchez (Ex-Ferrari) and Rob Marshall (Ex-Red Bull) only add to the excitement and hopes of the British driver. Both of them could well be invaluable assets to the team as they set their sights on improving further. Meanwhile, Norris hopes to start the 2024 season on a strong note, aiming for competitive performances from the very outset in Bahrain.
