F1 News: Lando Norris Struggling With McLaren Still Despite Strong 2023 End

Lando Norris's 2023 Formula 1 season with McLaren was tough for the driver as he grappled with the car.

Author:
Alex Harrington
Publish date:
Dec 28, 2023

Despite a strong finish to the 2023 Formula 1 season, Lando Norris faced significant struggles with McLaren's MCL60 car, as revealed in his reflections on the season.

Key Takeaways:

Early Season Struggles: Norris experienced difficulties in the initial part of the season, feeling he wasn't "in the right space" as McLaren had its worst start since 2000.
Mid-Season Turnaround: The introduction of an upgrade package at the Austrian Grand Prix marked a turnaround, resulting in Norris securing seven podiums and helping McLaren finish fourth in the standings.
Continued Challenges: Despite the team's improvement, Norris acknowledges the need to adapt his driving style to the MCL60, expressing confidence in McLaren's ability to evolve.

Lando Norris's 2023 season with McLaren was a mix of challenges and triumphs. He has now openly admitted to not being in the "right space" at the start of the season, struggling with McLaren's initial performance. The team began the campaign knowing they were at a disadvantage, having shifted their development focus late in the winter.

Reflecting on the season, Norris said:

"I worked quite a bit on trying to still adapt to this car because it’s not an easy car. And there’s still things every weekend that I struggle with, but I spent the first part of the season maybe not in the right space.”

The situation improved significantly with a major upgrade introduced in July. Norris leveraged this to collect a career-best seven podiums, including impressive performances in Brazil and Mexico, where he said:

"I think Brazil was one of my best races... Mexico [17th to 5th] very good race. I think I’ve definitely been at my best in terms [of] performance, maybe not the beginning of the year.
“I worked quite a bit on trying to still adapt to this car because it’s not an easy car. And there’s still things every weekend that I struggle with, but I spent the first part of the season maybe not in the right space.”

However, adapting to the MCL60 remained a challenge. Norris explained:

“Still, how I want to drive quickly is the opposite of how this car wants to be driven. And still my natural thing of going out and driving qualifying as best as I would want is not how our car needs to be driven. So I still have to change a little bit how I have to drive the car.
"And that’s still been happening this year but since I would say the half-way point of the season I felt more confident. I feel like I’ve been getting the most out of the car especially from a racing perspective.”

Norris remains optimistic about McLaren's future, believing in the team's ability to provide a more compliant car.

He noted:

"I’ve just made a few too many mistakes in qualifying...
"But I definitely think that I’ve had some of the best races I’ve ever done, so that helps when you have a good car on top to go with you. As I’ve said many times before, I believe that McLaren can turn things around."

In summary, Lando Norris's 2023 season was a testament to his resilience and adaptability, facing early challenges and ending with significant achievements, yet still acknowledging ongoing struggles with the McLaren MCL60.