“It’s all changed for the better”– Lando Norris talks about how the new enterprises have entered to create McLaren a more lively space.
McLaren had a rough patch in the middle of the last decade, but since then, the Woking-based team has raised itself immensely, and in a couple of years, aim to challenge the two powerhouses- Red Bull and Mercedes for the title.
Lando Norris, who promoted himself through the ranks of McLaren, talks about how things have changed in the team since the time he joined to the present day.
“I think [our] partners and sponsors, a lot of them are also from the esports side of it and computing side and not just to do with the racecar itself—a lot of our partners like getting involved because of these types of things,” said Norris.
“I’ve done a lot of stuff online, like with Coca-Cola and Dell playing on it and driving with them and giving that experience of driving around different tracks and driving a race car. It is very different.”
“Five years ago, I [don’t] think there was more than like four logos on the whole car and now the car’s full of them. Although it’s changed a lot, I think it’s all changed for the better.”
On a good trajectory
Last year, despite the pandemic year, McLaren obtained a heavy investment from the MSP Sports capital, putting them on a great path to succeed this year.
“We’re on a good trajectory just as a Formula 1 team and McLaren all together as a company,” he said. “So it’s cool to be just part of that. Part of that is then also the esports side of it.”
“It’s another sector that’s growing massively and partners love being involved in it because it is growing so much. So it’s good for everyone. It’s just enjoyable to kind of spend time with these people, meet different people through it and so on.”
“There’s been a lot of changes from back five, six years ago when I went for my first time going to go meet Ron,” he said. “I think it’s now a lot more lively, a lot more enthusiastic, more motivated and things like that. It’s all changed, but for all the good reasons.”
