The Miami Grand Prix was a momentous weekend for McLaren as they made their most awaited comeback with Lando Norris’ win, after spending most of last year in battling it out for podiums.
A smart and effective upgrade to the MCL38 proved to be useful. Lando Norris, now with fresh aggression strongly believes that his team will be title contenders next season, as they have room for improvement in the ongoing season, but a lot is up in their sleeves.
I’ll remember this forever. Thank you everyone ❤️ pic.twitter.com/aN8BWiGoMX
— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) May 8, 2024
Norris very strongly claims, “We can compete against Red Bull. I think we’re looking at an exciting season between us, Red Bull and Ferrari.” He thinks they still have their feet on the ground. He states that they are aware they have more work to do.
Zak Brown claims that the Norris-Piastri pairing is the best in the business
McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently stated why the Norris-Piastri partnership is the finest on the Formula 1 grid. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are among the youngest driver lineups. They are, however, much more competent than many on the grid. This duo is full of young energy and potential making them worthy contenders for the Championship.
In a conversation with F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast, McLaren’s boss explained that their age, speed, commitment, and the length of their contracts make them better than any duo.
Brown told Sky Sports, he couldn’t see they can’t be fighting for wills although it won’t be easy as Red Bull has the pace, they’ve been quicker than Ferrari in the last two races.
“We’re in the game. It shows Red Bull are beatable and we intend to beat them and anybody else a couple more times this year, so I see no reason why not.”
On McLaren’s hope of being a title contender in 2025, Brown mentioned that the next year would see an evolution of this year’s car. He expressed his satisfaction with the trajectory they were on. He had always maintained that once a race is won, there’s no reason why multiple races couldn’t be won, and once multiple races are won, one would be competing for world championships. He stated that their day to be competing for the world championship was not so far away.
Norris has 16 podium finishes in his career and has recently demonstrated consistent performance. He won his long-awaited maiden Formula 1 race in Miami, demolishing defending world champion Max Verstappen with a 7.6-second lead. Piastri, who debuted in Formula 1 in 2023, immediately wowed the grid with his speed. He maintained pace with the more experienced Norris and even won his maiden sprint event.
Can Lando Norris win the F1 championship?
Norris was back at the McLaren Technology Centre on Thursday to share his success with the rest of the team. He mentions that he is aware they’re short of Red Bull and Ferrari but is confident of more success this season. “We can win more races this year,” Norris said.
He thinks they (McLaren) are not at that (Red Bull) level just yet and there are going to be races that they’re going to test them but on average they’re not quite where they want to be.
2025 seems to be the main target for the McLaren side, as both CEO, Zak Brown and Lando Norris seem to be having high expectations on their part. Norris now sits fourth in the drivers’ standings, with 83 points, and McLaren trails the dominant Red Bull by 115 points in the constructors’ battle. McLaren seems to have accurate simulation tools and precise upgrades that helped in enhancing their performance, bringing in the first win in almost three years since Daniel Ricciardo in 2021)