McLaren finished third in the Constructors’ Championship in Norris’ first season with the team in 2020, before slipping to fourth last year.
The team are currently fourth again but are only four points clear of rivals Alpine and are expected to score significantly fewer points than last year.
Norris has scored 100 points so far this year and is unlikely to match his personal total of 160 in 2021.
Norris is clearly committed to the team until at least 2025 based on its expected progress after an ongoing restructuring and with a new wind tunnel on the way.
However, he insists he did not expect to see a dramatic improvement in form in 2022, especially with the new regulations coming into effect.
“I don’t think it changed anything,” he said of the team’s seemingly stalled progress. and fourth and fifth I probably didn’t expect that every weekend.
“So it’s always difficult, especially when it’s a new car, a new era of cars, to know exactly what’s going to happen and people are always going to come up with much better solutions, like with Red Bull not porpoising and bouncing as much as other people, Mercedes with their car.
“There are big differences, so I think over the next few years things are going to narrow down and everyone is going to get a lot closer.
“I guess you always feel a bit disappointed when you expect a little more than you realize.”
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36
Photo by: Erik Junius
Norris says he still believes the team will make good progress over the next two years.
“It’s not just a feeling I get, everyone at McLaren wants to win and fight, and make a lot of progress every weekend, every month and every season,” he said. “I think everyone feels that, and everyone still has a lot of confidence in the team.
“And everyone is working extremely hard to figure it all out and trying to put in place the steps that we need to get back to where Ferrari is, where Red Bull is and where Mercedes is. So I don’t think it has changed anything.
“I always look forward to the future with McLaren. And yes, there will always be tough places and tough parts of the season, or tough seasons, and this is one of them.
“It’s frustrating sometimes, because you feel like you’ve done some good laps and you’re disappointed that you’re only P6 or P10 or whatever.
“But I don’t think that changes or takes away anything from what I think we can do in a few years.”
McLaren finished third in the Constructors’ Championship in Norris’ first season with the team in 2020, before slipping to fourth last year.
The team are currently fourth again but are only four points clear of rivals Alpine and are expected to score significantly fewer points than last year.
Norris has scored 100 points so far this year and is unlikely to match his personal total of 160 in 2021.
Norris is clearly committed to the team until at least 2025 based on its expected progress after an ongoing restructuring and with a new wind tunnel on the way.
However, he insists he did not expect to see a dramatic improvement in form in 2022, especially with the new regulations coming into effect.
“I don’t think it changed anything,” he said of the team’s seemingly stalled progress. and fourth and fifth I probably didn’t expect that every weekend.
“So it’s always difficult, especially when it’s a new car, a new era of cars, to know exactly what’s going to happen and people are always going to come up with much better solutions, like with Red Bull not porpoising and bouncing as much as other people, Mercedes with their car.
“There are big differences, so I think over the next few years things are going to narrow down and everyone is going to get a lot closer.
“I guess you always feel a bit disappointed when you expect a little more than you realize.”
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36
Photo by: Erik Junius
Norris says he still believes the team will make good progress over the next two years.
“It’s not just a feeling I get, everyone at McLaren wants to win and fight, and make a lot of progress every weekend, every month and every season,” he said. “I think everyone feels that, and everyone still has a lot of confidence in the team.
“And everyone is working extremely hard to figure it all out and trying to put in place the steps that we need to get back to where Ferrari is, where Red Bull is and where Mercedes is. So I don’t think it has changed anything.
“I always look forward to the future with McLaren. And yes, there will always be tough places and tough parts of the season, or tough seasons, and this is one of them.
“It’s frustrating sometimes, because you feel like you’ve done some good laps and you’re disappointed that you’re only P6 or P10 or whatever.
“But I don’t think that changes or takes away anything from what I think we can do in a few years.”