Lando Norris says he is “excited” about McLaren’s prospects and is hopeful they will be able to challenge Red Bull for race wins during the 2024 F1 season.
After making a torrid start to the 2023 campaign, in-season development has transformed McLaren’s fortunes, with the team going from having one of the slowest cars on the grid to emerging as Red Bull’s closest competitors in recent races.
Norris has claimed five podiums – including four runner-up finishes – in the last six rounds and took runner-up spot behind Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in both the sprint and grand prix at last weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The British outfit’s remarkable resurgence and current form has left the 23-year-old optimistic heading into next season.
Asked if he thinks McLaren can give him a car to compete for wins and maybe even the title in 2024, Norris replied: “For us to go from where we were in Bahrain to getting close and talking about fighting a Red Bull I think are very good signs for us.
“And we know we still have plenty more things to come next year. So I’m excited. Having that as a thought, it’s quite a faraway thought.
“I don’t want to think of that just now, there’s no point thinking of it until next year but I’ll be optimistic and I believe we can do it as a team.”
McLaren’s impressive strides have seen them leapfrog Aston Martin into fourth place in the constructors’ championship, while Norris is just 31 points behind third-placed Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ standings.
“I’ve just been just saying to Max, since we bought this upgrade to Austria, I’ve been the second highest scoring driver on the grid,” Norris said.
“I think we’ve been the second highest scoring team, potentially. Of course, we’ve taken some massive steps forward and at the same time, considering we’re talking about fighting the Red Bull, I think it’s still a very, very good thing, for what we’ve achieved this year.
“We’re talking about one of the best drivers in Formula 1 ever, in one of the most dominating cars and obviously it’s a pairing and things have to go well together, but we’re talking about a guy who’s scored 17 [wins] and of the most dominated years in Formula 1 history.”
Keyword: Lando Norris ‘excited’ for F1 2024 with “plenty more things to come” from McLaren