Midway into the 2023 season, McLaren had a brilliant resurgence as they came all the way from the back of the grid to go head-to-head against a dominant Red Bull. Now, Lando Norris, talking about this revival of theirs, came out to reveal that it was the “closest” they have come to a Formula 1 victory, as per MotorsportWeek. In doing so, he omitted how close he was to a win himself at the 2021 Russian GP in Sochi.
McLaren had a fairly decent season in 2021. They brought home a brilliant 1-2 finish at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix when Daniel Ricciardo crossed the chequered flag in P1 ahead of Norris in P2. In the very next race at Sochi, it was Norris who took the pole position.
The British driver started the Russian GP race from pole position and even led for the majority of the race. However, after rain spoiled proceedings, Norris and McLaren made a blunder in strategy, which agonizingly cost him his maiden F1 win.
Norris chose 2023 progress over 2021 winning chances
Despite Norris’ close brush with victory in 2021, the 23-year-old believes their current resurgence has put them in the most comfortable position they have been in, since he joined them in 2019. He stated that the mid-season improvements made by the team has impressed him the most.
Talking about this in a McLaren interview, he said, “I would say we’re also the closest we’ve ever been over the last five years. So, if there’s any time to believe we’re getting closer to winning races, it’s now.”
P2!!! Another podium. Papaya is back 🍊 pic.twitter.com/lwRf065Srt
— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) July 23, 2023
Nevertheless, the progress made by the Papayas will not bring the result Norris desires, believes Jenson Button. The former F1 world champion is of the opinion that the British driver would need to look elsewhere if he needs a Grand Prix win.
Jenson Button brings harsh reality to Lando Norris
During a recent report published by Racingnews365, Button said that no matter how much McLaren improve, it will not be enough to snatch a win from Red Bull this season.
Furthermore, the former F1 driver also added that Lando Norris will struggle to win a race in 2024 too. This is because of how mighty Red Bull and Max Verstappen have been as of late.
Additionally, Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Ferrari are also doing their best to end Red Bull’s dominance. Therefore, beating all the top four teams and their drivers to win his first race in F1, might not be easy for Lando Norris.
