Lando Norris finished P2 six times in 2023, but could not lead McLaren to victory. Plenty of people spoke about how the British team’s inferiority to Red Bull’s mechanical dominance was the reason behind this. Norris, on the other hand, feels that he did not win due to his own mistakes.
As reported by F1 Maximaal, Norris said, “During the second part of the season I had more confidence and I thought I had made the most of the car. I just made mistakes too often during qualifying, but then again I drove the best races of my career last season.”
P2 for Lando!
The @McLarenF1 driver is your #F1DriverOfTheDay #F1 #BrazilGP @salesforce pic.twitter.com/RxRqCXfG7E
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 5, 2023
Talking about the first half, Norris feels that he simply didn’t adapt to the car fast enough. He decided to go all-out in qualifying without thinking too much, something he admits was the wrong approach now that the season is over.
“I approached the qualification with the mindset to simply drive as fast as possible,” the Bristol-born driver said. “But that’s not how to drive the car. I still have to adapt to the car.”
Admittedly, McLaren made major strides as the 2023 season progressed. Despite their poor start to the campaign, they finished P4 in the constructors’ championship.
Lando Norris and McLaren’s resurgence in 2023
When the 2023 season started, no one could fathom McLaren being in contention for race wins. However, with time, their development proved to be too good. After the mid-season break, they were a force to reckon with.
Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were regularly competing for the podium places. The gap to Red Bull and Max Verstappen in particular, was still too big to bridge for the Woking team. Still, they managed to jump Aston Martin in the constructors’ standings, a team that was regularly finishing in the top three in the first few races.
Big thanks everyone ❤️ pic.twitter.com/lhwh4NFTUz
— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) December 4, 2023
With the 2023 season now in the history books, McLaren is optimistic about their chances in 2024. They want to carry forward the momentum they gained this campaign and aim for race wins and potentially a title charge this upcoming season.
However, things certainly won’t be easy for the British team. Lando Norris and Co., not only have to watch out for Red Bull but will also have to be wary about the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes in 2024.
