P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Lando Norris has been critical of McLaren’s performance over the past five seasons – but backed the team after its strong 2023 turnaround.
Lando Norris has criticized McLaren’s failure to build fast enough cars since his Formula 1 debut in 2019. The cars have proven challenging to drive and require a unique style that doesn’t align with Norris’s natural abilities. The team made a significant turnaround in 2023, with upgrade packages in Austria and Singapore improving the car’s performance. Norris achieved a career-best seven podiums, surpassing expectations for the season. The main issue McLaren faced was their inability to create a fast enough car, even if it was difficult to drive. Now that they have a faster car, they can focus on other areas of improvement, such as drivability. Norris compared McLaren’s situation to Mercedes, who also struggled in the past but managed to improve over the years. This demonstrates the difficulty of getting things right in Formula 1.
