Lando Norris has been the main driver at McLaren for quite some time now. With the British outfit on the brink of becoming a winning team once again, there are certain improvements Norris can make according to team principal Andrea Stella. These changes could allow Norris to become one of the best in the grid, and lead McLaren’s potential title charge in the future.
In a video uploaded by F1 YouTuber Aldas, McLaren’s preparations for the 2024 season are discussed in detail. There, he talks about Stella stating Norris’ habit of pushing the car to 100%, which does more bad than good.
As per Stella, if Norris knows when to push between 97% to 99% instead of going all out when “the car is on the ragged edge”, McLaren will benefit a lot.
Admittedly, Norris made quite a few mistakes in general in 2023 that could have been due to this very reason. He admitted to throwing away some golden opportunities to beat Red Bull. However, there are questions about what caused Norris to make the mistakes he did in 2023.
Aldas has several theories. Maybe, Norris was just under a lot of pressure to perform. On the other hand, it is possible that McLaren’s MCL60 was fast but very difficult to drive. These are the questions they have to answer among themselves back in Woking because 2024 is a season where all eyes will be on the papaya car.
Lando Norris and McLaren enter 2024 with huge expectations
At the beginning of the 2023 season, McLaren struggled to even get into the points. However, their development was among the very best on the grid, and they were arguably one of the fastest behind Red Bull when the curtains fell.
This gave hope to the fans of the Woking-based team. With a driver lineup of Norris and Oscar Piastri, they can achieve big things if the car doesn’t disappoint. Considerable investment and money drawn in from sponsors have made sure that McLaren don’t lack any resources in their quest to return to the front of the grid.
On top of that, the restructured technical team under Stella has already delivered a stunning in-season turnaround last year. Therefore, the Woking team will want to emulate the same trajectory in their bid to catch Red Bull.
P A P A Y A #WhateverItTakes pic.twitter.com/8XPIGCkSWA
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) January 20, 2024
Norris will likely assume the role of lead driver, but Piastri will certainly not be pushed around. In his rookie season, the Aussie got two podium finishes and a sprint race victory. If the car is good enough, Norris can expect strong resistance from his teammate first.
