McLaren’s Lando Norris
Lando Norris has suggested McLaren could be even quicker in Imola but has insisted the team are not getting ahead of themselves and are still the third best on the grid.
The team made progress in the US and are now prepared to compete against Ferrari and Red Bull throughout the season. Despite Norris’ usual pessimism, he hinted that their performance could be comparable this weekend.
Lando Norris makes early Imola prediction
Additional reporting by Sam Cooper
Last time in Miami, Norris ended his streak of winless races by securing a victory, all thanks to the recent enhancements on the MCL38. However, he hinted that the team has the potential to perform even better at a track that aligns more favorably with their strengths.
He informed the media, including PlanetF1.com, saying, “In my opinion, Imola seems to be a more suitable track for us, and perhaps the upgrade has played a small role in that too.”
“I believe Imola has consistently been a highly successful track for our team, as well as for me as a driver. Therefore, I would like to highlight that I believe we have undoubtedly made progress.”
Based on my understanding, it seems that other teams have also made upgrades, so I don’t believe we should become too overconfident. I have expressed my confidence to the team and mentioned that we are capable of making progress. However, I have made it clear that we cannot expect to perform exceptionally every weekend.
Last weekend, I had the good fortune of benefiting from the safety car and successfully executing my strategy. However, as is the nature of racing, luck can sometimes play a significant role. It wasn’t solely my speed that put me in the lead, but rather being the fastest on the track. This initial success proved to be a positive indication, which ultimately transformed into something greater.
However, in order to consistently challenge Ferrari and Red Bull, we require additional resources. Nonetheless, the team is currently performing admirably, having taken positive strides, and we anticipate further advancements in the future.
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When asked about McLaren’s position in the hierarchy, Norris responded directly, stating, “We’re third.”
The McLaren driver was questioned about their chances in a title race if the season commenced at present, but they admitted that they were “still lagging far behind.”
He expressed, “Currently, I believe we are still lagging far behind. It was only a single weekend, and our performance in Miami was unexpectedly good, which was a pleasant surprise. China had similar outcomes.”
“At this stage, the difference between qualifying ahead and staying ahead in the race, versus falling behind and lacking the necessary skills, is not a significant margin of a mile, but rather just one or two tenths of a lap.”
“I believe that currently, we do not possess the complete package to excel from the start to the end of each weekend. We still have some improvements to make. In comparison to Ferrari and Red Bull, I don’t think we are at the same level.”
“We’re making progress, so I believe we require a few more steps similar to the ones we had in Miami. After that, we can delve deeper into discussing that topic.”
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