Lando Norris has admitted he is not happy with the big picture at McLaren as he “wants to win races”. The McLaren star claimed the team were “rewarded more” last season after a poor run of results in 2022.
McLaren finds itself embroiled in a midfield battle with Alpine but has struggled to make progress on the frontrunners. Norris has only picked up one podium this season after benefiting from Charles Leclerc’s error at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
At this stage last season, the Briton had already secured three podium finishes with a P2 in Italy still to come. The team picked up a one-two finish at Monza last season and weeks later, Norris almost won the Russian Grand Prix if it wasn’t for a late rain shower.
Norris said: “I’m satisfied with it but within the big picture am I happy? No, I want to win races – I’m not here to keep finishing P7. Last year we were rewarded more when we did a good job. At Imola and Monza we got podiums. This year we do a good job and it can be P8 or P9 – that part of it is tough.”
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“You’ve just got to reset what your targets are. It’s tough when you want to be higher. But you’ve got to set mini-targets and treat them more as mini-wins.” But, Norris has been consistent with five top-10 finishes over the last six race weekends.
The McLaren driver has finished P7 in four of the last five races which have helped the team in their battle with Alpine. McLaren scored 24 points behind the French manufacturer but this is partly down to the results of Daniel Ricciardo who has scored just four points in the last seven races.
Norris recently claimed he does get “frustrated” at not being closer to the front but stressed he still believed in the team’s long-term project. He told RaceFans: “No, no, no, no. I still believe.
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“I didn’t sign up to be with McLaren for this year like ‘this year I’m going to be winning races’ – that was far from my belief. I still knew it would take a good few years – 2024-25 will be the first time when there should be less and less excuses in a way to go ‘why aren’t we in a position we should be in?
“I think still for a couple of years, things are still in progress. The wind tunnel and the simulator – all these little things the top teams have optimized for many years and we’re just a long way behind with all of this stuff.”
