Will Lando Norris finally break into the top 5 mark in WDC with McLaren?

Lando Norris is widely touted as one of the best drivers on the grid. At the end of the 2022 F1 season, most publications, if not all, had him as one of the top 5 drivers in the sport.

The way he has performed in the last few seasons, it's hard to deny that the driver belongs in the company of true elites on the F1 grid. Having said that, the driver is part of McLaren. It's a team that has a glorious past in F1 but is struggling in the midfield at the moment.

Even Red Bull boss Christian Horner has revealed his surprise over Norris persisting with McLaren, especially after approaching the driver multiple times. Norris is, however, content at McLaren as he hopes he can grow with the team to ultimately challenge for the title one day.

Having said that, for the 2023 F1 season, can we entertain the possibility of Lando Norris having his breakthrough moment as he cracks into the top 5 of the championship standings? Let's take a look.

Lando Norris growth curve

The first thing we need to take a look at is the 'Lando Norris growth curve' since his debut. The McLaren driver's growth has been quite impressive. What has been an even better indicator is the improvement in championship standings with respect to where the team finds itself in the pecking order.

The McLaren driver made his debut in 2019 and finished the season 11th in the championship standings. The year was more or less a learning experience for Norris as he learned the ropes of the sport.

The 2020 F1 season started with Lando Norris' first F1 podium in Austria. The driver grew leaps and bounds that season as he started to become a lot more consistent. He finished the season 9th in the championship.

The 2021 F1 season saw Norris take another step and become one of the top drivers in the sport. He was fast, he was consistent, and he blew teammate Daniel Ricciardo out of the water.

Norris secured his first-ever pole position in Sochi and almost won the race as well. He ended the season sixth in the championship, widely recognized as one of the best drivers on the grid.

The 2022 F1 season was more of the same as Lando Norris finished the season seventh in the championship, as best of the rest, behind the six drivers from the top three teams. In all this time, the McLaren driver has smoothened the edges over the course of his career.

He has shown a capability to fight and sometimes even beat the likes of Max Verstappen, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Fernando Alonso. In terms of driving, Norris is truly capable of being a top 5 driver in the F1 championship standings.

How good is the team?

If we have to talk about results, then, more than the driver, the onus falls on the team. McLaren finds itself well entrenched in the midfield. It finished the 2022 F1 season fifth in the championship behind Alpine.

If it continues on the same trajectory, then it would be foolish to expect Norris to finish in the top 5 of the championship.

Having said that, McLaren had a major setback at the start of the season in 2022 that compromised the car majorly. If that setback does not happen, who knows where the team finds itself.

For this season, the team has been able to put its learning to use. The car would not be compromised like it was last season and we could see a more competitive car.

The gaps between the leader and the midfield are expected to shrink this season because of the prohibitive nature of the regulations.

If that happens and McLaren is able to leapfrog Alpine, Norris could find himself in a car that is not only better but also a possible challenger to the top 3 teams. Can it happen? Theoretically, yes, but we need to see that one to believe it ultimately.

Can he crack the top 5?

The question of Lando Norris cracking the top 5 is going to come down, not to the driver, but the team. In terms of driving, Lando Norris can jump in any of the top cars tomorrow and challenge for the title.

However, in a sport where team effort takes precedence over individual effort, Norris can only do so much and greatly needs support from the team. If McLaren can give him a car capable of challenging the top 3 teams, it will not be a surprise to see Norris finishing the season inside the top 5 of the championship.

Having said that, if the car is a limiting factor, then, it's hard to see him threaten top 5 in the championship this season.