Norris sounding like a driver starting feel a bit of impatience with a long term contract trapping him slightly. Norris: McLaren must match Ferrari's F1 ground-effects gains for 2023 Lando Norris says McLaren must take as big a step forwards this season as Ferrari managed between 2021 and 2022, even though the major Formula 1 rule change has passed. By: Matt Kew Jan 22, 2023, 2:40 PM McLaren failed to win at the start of the second ground-effects F1 era last year, with Norris achieving a sole team podium in the Emilia Romagna GP. The struggles with its MCL36 left the Woking outfit to take its first major competitive backwards step since the start of its Andreas Seidl-led recovery plan. From scoring third in the 2020 constructors’ championship, McLaren fell to fifth behind Alpine while it waits for its new simulator and wind tunnel to be completed. In an exclusive interview with Autosport, which features in the current magazine issue, Norris reckons his team must match 2022 runner-up and four-time grand prix winner Ferrari’s gains over one winter. He said: "That's achievable. I think what they did was extremely good. “Going from where they were [in 2021], from almost getting beat by us, to going to where they are getting wins, fighting for podiums every single weekend…That's what we need to be aiming for. “That level of a jump from one season to another. “They've obviously had, not the luck, but they've maximised a new era, a new rules set for Formula 1 with new cars, which has allowed them to make a bigger jump than ever. “But there's still plenty of opportunities for us to achieve something like that. “And that's where we need to be setting our goals for.” Norris, 23, added that he did not want to have to wait for the new wind tunnel - which is unlikely to impact car performance until 2024 - for the team to notably improve. He instead reckoned the team can make much better use of its current resources. He added: “The fact is, we have to do a better job and the team have to do a better job with making a better car. “I think already next year we need to make progress. I have good faith that we can. “We have a huge amount of what we need in the right areas and the right people and so on. “It's just that final hurdle, the final thing to get us up to the same level to then have no excuse against Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari. “The team know that they need to do a better job.” While Norris is contracted to McLaren until the end of 2025, he concedes that his impatience to win has been exacerbated by ex-team-mate Carlos Sainz and 2018 FIA F2 title rival George Russell making potentially career-defining switches to Ferrari and Mercedes to win races. Norris continued: “I wish I was there with them. Of course, I wish I was in that battle. “I feel like I deserve to be in that battle. I feel like I can be, and I think it will be a great battle. “But it's just not the position that I'm in at the minute... I can race against them in the future, and I can do the same as what they're doing. “
Also delusional... McLaren are nowhere near Ferrari, haven't been for almost 15 years. Even with cost cap, the resources are on a different scale for a long time. Ferrari did not "almost get beat" by McLaren in 2021; the further the season progressed, the bigger Ferrari's advantage grew. Reality check for Lando and happy orange buddies; why where McLaren even close to Ferrari in 2021? Because of the 2019 engine incident. Actually rather embarrassing for papaya boys that Ferrari with nerfed engine and compromised chassis/aero could leapfrog them from where each were in 2020. McLaren haven't been a top team since their livery was silver, and I can't see that changing under Brown's leadership.
Fully agree. If things remain the same this year with RedBull and Ferrari up front with Mercedes - and Mclaren somewhere in the back way behind, he will utterly regret his move and long term contract lol. He is finally realizing George and Carlos, Charles have the potential for a title. Norris does not at all so far.
McLaren will not return to top team status as long as it will no become a factory team again. Ron Dennis said it correctly years ago when Mercedes ended its support. The most McLaren can hope for is "Best of the Rest", and that is behind even Alpine !
Here we go again..... Mclaren in talks with Honda for 2026. Hopefully Mclaren learns form the start(2015) of this turbo-hybrid formula.
Zak busy on engine subject lol. https://f1i.com/news/465446-mclaren-and-honda-to-reunite-theyre-talking.html interestingly, The Race has also revealed that McLaren boss Zak Brown has visited Red Bull Powertrains. But so far, Christian Horner has given no indication that RBPT-Ford would be interested in supplying a third team at the outset in 2026. A tie-up Between McLaren and Audi also comes to mind given the manufacture's investment in its F1 partner Sauber, now managed by former McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl. But perhaps the most likely outcome of McLaren's various talks would be for team papaya to remain affiliated with its current partner Mercedes. "We’re very happy with Mercedes," said Brown at the end of last year. "I’m a believer that you can win a world championship with a customer engine.
McLaren completes key first run for MCL60 amid F1 secrecy games McLaren has completed what it calls "a super important" shakedown for its new MCL60 Formula 1 car, amid efforts to keep its design secrets under wraps for now. Twelve months on from McLaren facing a disastrous test in Bahrain and disappointing opening race after suffering brake overheating problems, the squad has made efforts to ensure there is no repeat trouble this time around. Well aware that there is just a single test before the opening 2023 race at Sakhir, McLaren booked in one of its two filming days for Bahrain on Tuesday to check that its new F1 challenger could run without dramas. Although limited to a maximum of 100km for the run, which was also used as a filming day, that was enough to give the team a key indication of whether there were any problems that needed addressing before proper running starts on Thursday. Speaking after his run, Lando Norris felt the day had been vital for McLaren to ensure it did not start the test on the back foot like last year. “I think it was a super important day for us, especially because we need to start this season off better than we did last year,” explained the Briton. “So far we've done exactly that, so I'm happy the team are happy. There's a lot of hard work to make sure we start smoothly, and we start with the reliability, and get everything on top of where it should be. They've done exactly that, so yeah, super important.” Floor secrets The shakedown filming day also prompted a bit of intrigue as McLaren went to great lengths to ensure that some of the design secrets of its new car were not revealed to rivals just yet. The video footage and photos of the new MCL60 that were released after the run were carefully framed to ensure that it was not possible to analyse the specific details of the floor edge – which is a critical area for the performance of the current generation of cars. Furthermore, when the car was filmed in areas of the track where the floor design could have been seen clearly, McLaren deliberately blurred out that area of the car. This is shown in the image below. Image Unavailable, Please Login McLaren MCL60 floor edge detail Photo by: Uncredited McLaren is not the only team to be shy on showing off too much of its car so far this year, with Red Bull in particular having revealed almost nothing of its new RB19. The team launched a version of last year's RB18 at its event in New York earlier this month, while the only images of the new RB19 from its shakedown were heavily restricted to offer no specific details of the changes made to its latest car. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/mclaren-completes-key-first-run-for-mcl60-amid-f1-secrecy-games/10434866/
Mclaren are considering a shock engine partnership with Red Bull. Mclaren chief executive Zak Brown visited Red Bull Powertrains earlier this month to explore a potential deal. A Red Bull spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday that Brown has been at their factory.
They need to do something. How about selling out to Honda full stock and leave F1. Mclaren are weak. Maybe this new car will move them a bit forward. This year Norris will decide when and how to leave if Mclaren simply stay static. He is wasting what career he has going so far.
3rd times a charm....given their history. Mclaren should go back to Honda in 2026 and "behind closed doors" tell Honda they're sorry (2015 thru 2017).
Didn't have this one in 2023 f1 bingo, that's for sure. --- Anyone else feeling that Mclaren will slump further backwards this year? Their launch car seems very underwhelming from their not so good 2022 car. Alpine, Aston seems to have made a genuine step forwards. How far will Mclaren fall? Norris best hope Lewis doesn't extend his contract...
Regarding Mclarens 2023 car, I've seen pics comparing it to RedBulls RB18.....they tested yesterday(Norris) and the floor is quite different than the launch car for obvious reasons.
The last day of testing, mostly or almost in Race 1 trim will be telling. Norris is hopeful. He needs some lol.
+1 possibly the worst start of a team lol. Crazy. What has Zack done again...............?????????? How does he not lose his job. Binotto was more effective. Much more.
Stand by for Norris to start looking for ways out. (The call for a Ferrari-esque change wasn't accidental)
How long will Lando wait for improvement - till 2025? McLaren sets June date for using new F1 wind tunnel McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella says construction of the team's much-awaited new wind tunnel has now been completed, with the team aiming to have it running in June.
