Norris Puts McLaren Results Into Perspective After 'Disappointing' Second Place At COTA

Tuesday, 24 October 2023 at 11:00

Updated at Wednesday, 25 October 2023 at 21:49

McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris reflects on the McLaren season's progress after the 2023 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas.

Lando Norris had another successful weekend during the 2023 United States Grand Prix. Starting from the second spot on the grid, Norris managed to cross the finish line in P3.

After the disqualification of Lewis Hamilton a few hours following the race end, the McLaren driver moved up to second position, earning important points for McLaren to move above Aston Martin in the Constructors' Championship.

The 23-year-old reflected after the race to the beginning of the season at Bahrain International Circuit, where McLaren struggled at the back of the grid. As reported by total-motorsport, Norris told the media:

"I think the main thing is when you look at where we were, how bad Bahrain was for us, how many seconds off pole we were, my six pitstops in the first race of the season, I lost my power unit straightaway."

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McLaren, however, made a huge step forward since the first race to now get close to challenging Red Bull for the first place in the Grand Prix.

Red Bull's team principal, Christian Horner, sees McLaren as a possible threat as he recently warned against McLaren's "two-on-one bullying." Norris elaborated:

"So things which just set us on the back foot from the beginning, and when you look at where we are now to be fighting against a Red Bull who was an unrealistic target for almost anyone and fighting against a Mercedes."

McLaren is on a positive trajectory to fight for race wins until the end of the 2023 season and possibly challenge Red Bull and other top teams for the Championship title next season.

"As much as we are disappointed that we couldn’t go for the race win when you put it in perspective of where we were and how much we’ve improved I think it’s still an amazing day for us."