The 24-year-old Formula One driver Lando Norris suggested his McLaren team needed a season like 2023 to see what is possible and aim for the title.
McLaren F1 team was the third-best team in the second part of the season, lacking only a few points, with Scuderia Ferrari in second place.
The Papaya team made the biggest progress throughout the season out of all ten teams on the grid. Lando Norris shared he felt much more confident during the second part of the season in his car as he told the media:
"Since the halfway point of the season, I felt more confident, and I feel like I've been getting the most out of car, especially from a racing perspective."
The double World Champion who predicted McLaren's success, Mika Hakkinen, recently shared he believes McLaren's next victory is getting very close.
On one hand, Norris admitted he has made too many mistakes in the qualifying sessions which set him back for multiple races. On the other hand, the 24-year-old suggested he has had some of the best races of his career this season.
"I've just made a few too many mistakes in qualifying, which I think have been obvious and I've acknowledged. But I definitely think I've had some of my best races I've ever done."
The number four driver certainly hasn't accomplished so many podiums in a single season ever before. Norris achieved seven podiums ever since McLaren upgraded its car in 2023, and six of them were second-place finishes.
His teammate, Oscar Piastri, also achieved great results, even though it was his first season in Formula One. The two drivers pushed each other to elevate their game and it resulted in positive outcomes for the team.
McLaren has tasted what fighting for the podiums and even Grand Prix victories feels like in 2023, and as Red Bull Racing's team principal Christian Horner says, it is addictive, and teams do not want to give it up. Norris added:
"I believe that McLaren can continue turning things around, this was the year that we needed and the team needed to prove those things."
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