Save Private Norris. This is the title we could give to the situation at McLaren based on the results of the last few years. The Woking team are off a nightmare start in Bahrain still seems far from that quantum leap promised to his young talent, Lando Norris. The time to understand and experiment has already passed and now the opportunities to fight with the other riders of his generation have been reduced to the bone.
McLaren not only comes from a difficult season but from years in which it had to face various problems, including the risk of bankruptcy in 2020. Inevitably, the team had to give up resources, and people who preferred to look elsewhere, not understanding the McLaren's true destination. An important and also quite significant departure is that of the former Team Principal Andreas Seidl, who arrived at Sauber in view of the arrival of Audi in 2026. Although problems in McLaren are always lurking, Lando Norris – with a contract expiring in 2025 – believes and hopes for a possible recovery during the 2023 season.
Too many problems for this MCL60
The car bears the team's legacy only in its name to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its foundation. There are many problems on the track, too many for a high-profile team like McLaren. The only midfield team that in 2022 managed to snatch a podium from one of the three top teams, in Imola. There MCL60 it is deficient in both performance and reliability. The team had foreseen some problems in the initial phase of the season due to the delay accumulated on the roadmap, but also seeing the qualitative leap made by theAston Martin the position of Norris e Piastres it gets more and more uncomfortable.
The team led by Lawrence Stroll is investing heavily, both in infrastructure and in personnel, and it is precisely this that has attracted so many excellent minds, and a driver like Fernando Alonso. On the other hand, ambition is a fundamental ingredient for anyone who wants to stand out in Motorsport. McLaren has lost its charm and the only thing that can save Norris, other than a miracle, is a clause in the contract.
Will Norris abandon ship?
Lando Norris is fresh from his contract renewal and continues to trust the team, but even if we don't know the details, he may have taken some precautions at the time of signing. Seidl, commenting on the renewal just a year ago, had declared that no exit clause had been inserted. If true, this could complicate Norris' position. Furthermore, at the moment there are no vacancies in more attractive teams, so it is also counterproductive to line up against your own team as well as the only foothold in F1. But this season will be crucial. There are expiring contracts, such as Lewis Hamilton's - speaking precisely of discontent and disappointing results - and in the absence of results, Norris will have to look elsewhere, one way or another.
However, in the heart of the Englishman there is a glimmer of hope, and that does not include a farewell. Aston Martin also started the 2022 season in the worst way and then gradually improved over the course of the season. So too McLaren according to Norris will have the opportunity to improve its performance and reveal its true potential during the course of the year.
The season will start in Baku
At the moment, therefore, the only alternative is to wait. The first big update is expected to arrive in Baku, fourth stage of the season. After that it will be possible to trace the route and destination of the MCL60. “I hope that our real season can start in Baku – he commented in an interview reported by motorsportweek.com Land Norris. “As much as we want to believe it will start later, we're already at it, and we're behind where we should be. If we want to be a top level team, we will start again with what awaits us in Baku, i.e. with the type of incoming components. Until then, we will do our best to make the most of what we have now. It's the same thing all the other teams do: it doesn't matter where we are, whether tenth or fifteenth, we are optimistic that we can make progress over the course of the season."
Source statements: FormulaPassion
