McLaren have drastically improved their season-opening performance in 2024 when compared to the last two years. Lando Norris' first F1 race win at the 2024 F1 Miami GP is a clear sign of how much the Woking-based team has improved.
Back in 2022, the team only had 50 points after the first six races. In 2023, they struggled in the first half of the season and only scored 17 points. In 2024, however, they entered the season on the front foot and have bagged two podium finishes and a race win in the first six races.
McLaren started off the 2022 F1 season as a midfield team. Though Lando Norris managed to bag a podium in Imola, he was still seventh in the drivers' championship after six races. McLaren themselves were fourth in the constructors' with only 50 points in their pockets. In the entire season, Norris' P3 finish in Imola was the only podium the team got. They ended the season in fifth place with 159 points.
The 2023 F1 season started off badly for Lando Norris' team. They were unable to bag any podium in the first six races of the season and struggled to score points. After the first six races, McLaren only had 17 points and was down to sixth in the table. Their fortunes turned after the team brought major upgrades to their car to Austria, allowing Norris to clinch seven podiums and rookie driver Oscar Piastri to bag two of them.
In 2024, the team successfully continued their decent run from the second half of the 2023 season. Lando Norris managed to stand on two podiums, in Japan and China. The British driver won his first-ever F1 race in Miami, giving McLaren a win after Daniel Ricciardo's 2021 win in Monza. After the Miami GP, the team is currently third in the constructors' championship with 124 points.
Thus McLaren has scored nearly double of the points they had scored in the last two seasons together after six races.
Lando Norris believes McLaren could challenge Red Bull for titles from 2025
After winning his first race at the 2024 F1 Miami GP, Lando Norris has expressed confidence that McLaren could challenge Red Bull for the world championship from next year.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he insisted that the Woking-based team had the minerals to run for the title in 2025. He praised the team members and stated how they are closer to Red Bull than ever before.
"100 per cent. I am saying that still with my feet on the ground. I want to believe that we have two great drivers. We have an amazing team behind us and we are closer than ever. As much as I said at the beginning of this year that we can win races, I should have the confidence to say next year we can go for the next step," Norris said.