A MCL60 specially designed for Lando Norris?

Lando Norris is starting his fifth season with the Woking team. He has become one of the stars of Formula 1 since entering the sport with McLaren in 2019. Always ranked among the best of the rest, just behind the drivers of the top three teams Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari, the British driver finished seventh in the championship last season.

Although Lando Norris has always been one of the most impressive in F1, the British driver has always been clear that he is not very comfortable with the unique driving demands of McLaren’s creations. The 23-year-old driver has therefore pushed the engineers to evolve the unique characteristics of the car to better suit him. “It’s something I worked on a lot last season, personally,” said Norris to the press when asked if he believed the MCL60 could better suit his driving style.

Progress to be made

He continues by stating, “Every driver wants a fast car. I believe that has always been our goal in recent years, but personally, as a driver, I have spent a bit more time trying to review things that didn’t work with all the engineers to make them understand where we struggled to find a balance and how the car behaves in corners. I think this year, we have been pushed a little more on this aspect, trying to do our best with a fast car, but also one that, hopefully, is more to my liking.”

(E) Even though I have been with McLaren for four years, it’s not like the cars are made for me more than for Daniel. So maybe, the car this year is the one that can suit me the most. But when I say it suits me, it’s also just to make the car faster in general, it’s not just a driving style that suits me personally.

Lando Norris feels like he has more responsibilities at McLaren.

Although he is only 23 years old, Lando Norris is already starting his fifth season at McLaren, making him the seasoned and experienced veteran, while Oscar Piastri is starting his rookie season.

As a more experienced driver, the Briton admitted feeling a change in dynamics approaching this season: “I think I have more responsibilities this season within the team. I think I already had a big part of it last year, being the guy who stayed in the team. Someone you can understand and who understands last year’s car a bit better, and therefore try to use it better for this year. It’s something I can do, and none of the other drivers, or Oscar, can do. So, I have the responsibility to capitalize on my knowledge and experience in Formula 1 in the coming years, and it’s something that Oscar will slowly update, or quickly update. So yes, I have more responsibilities,” he explained.

Furthermore, Lando Norris is confident for the upcoming season. We hope to take a step forward this year. This will help us go faster as a car and as a team. And throughout the season, we can make even more progress.