Lando Norris is optimistic about McLaren’s chances of fighting further up the field in 2024, even with their understated first round.
For the first time in several years, McLaren was not a major headline at the Bahrain GP. Having suffered from poor starts in the last two F1 campaigns, their relatively quiet start to the year can be taken as a positive.
Of course, Andrea Stella’s team might have wanted more than P6 and P8 in round one.
The Woking-based team was comfortably a top-three team by the end of last season. So, to some degree, the MCL38 might have underwhelmed some in Sakhir.
With that said, McLaren seems rather content with their opening performance.
This is reflected by both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who were relatively upbeat after crossing the chequered flag.
Context is important in Formula 1, especially for a team that expended more resources than most outfits in mid-season development.
While Red Bull began diverting resources into 2024, Andrea Stella’s personnel were still compensating for a poor winter.
As a result, this year’s MCL38 is largely a continuity from last year’s package. Still, this is not to say there has been no progress.
In relative teams, some ground might have been lost. However, Andrea Stella is confident that a combination of upgrades and different track layouts will generate better results.
Lando Norris echoed a similar sentiment to the media in Bahrain:
“If you consider that we always have problems on this track, the fact we were so close to Mercedes is a good sign we will be ahead of them on other tracks.
“So I’m confident. The team did a good job, and that’s a good starting point.”
Oscar Piastri made similar comments, showing his trademark combination of maturity and perspective.
The 22-year-old might have wanted a slightly better result last weekend, but there were still reasons to be optimistic.
Some of last year’s weaknesses still remain, including the relatively draggy nature of the McLaren challenger.
However, the past twelve months are concrete evidence of the team’s ability to develop mid-season. As the 2024 season begins, there will be optimism they can replicate this feat.
Author: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
