Before the start of the 2023 F1 season, Lando Norris shared why he wants to stay at McLaren. The young Brit looked quite strong last year, finishing seventh in the Drivers' Championship, trailing only the top three teams' drivers.
Speaking on Lissie Mackintosh's YouTube video, Norris explained why he wanted to stick with McLaren. He expressed how comfortable he was with the team. He said:
"It's been the best place for me, personally, to grow as a driver, to prepare. That in combination with us not being anything else...which will give me as good of an opportunity long-term. And I have faith, still, that McLaren can win, and we'll win...and I will win."
Norris also admitted how hard the journey to F1 glory can be, especially for a midfield team facing the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull Racing. Explaining how it can take several years for a team to gradually reach the top of the table, he said:
"But it's just the annoying thing about Formula 1 that it's never going to happen now. When you are going up against Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, everything needs to be perfect to have a chance to battle against them, and everything needs to be extra perfect to have a chance to beat them. So it's not something which...sadly its just not one year, two years, three years, sometimes it can be four, five, six, seven years."
He added:
"So I'm so proud of that journey, I'm dedicated to that, I still have a few more years with McLaren, so I'll look forward to it."
These particular statements were made before the start of the 2023 F1 season when McLaren were in a pretty good position. Unfortunately, they have made a poor to the new campaign as several aerodynamic issues have seen the team stay rock bottom in the table.
Lando Norris dejected after a poor performance in the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP
Lando Norris was not satisfied after finishing 17th in the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP. He explained how the MCL60 is not only slow on the straights but also lacks pace in corners.
Speaking with Sky Sports F1 after the race, the McLaren driver said:
"I definitely think we are worst today. Our strengths and weaknesses clearly just aren't in the right places. I don't even say we're good in the corners, but we're way too slow in the straights. We can't use what we have in the corners at high speed so I can get close but we just can't do anything more than that."
Norris' teammate, Oscar Piastri, had a slightly better race in Jeddah, finishing 15th.