Author: Barkha Roy
Belgian-British driver Lando Norris has reaffirmed his faith in McLaren, despite the team’s poor start to the current F1 season.
The team was seen by many as the slowest until the Bahrain Grand Prix. However, he is currently fifth in the points table ahead of the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix, having recorded 12 points in the process.
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The 23-year-old driver, who has been touted as the sport’s next big thing, is expected to leave the British team after his struggles last season. However, Norris remains optimistic about the team’s future, especially considering the experienced leadership of the group.
The team appointed Andrea Stella as team boss at the beginning of 2023, following the sudden departure of Andreas Seidl to Sauber. However, despite the difficult start to the season, Norris supported the team’s leadership and especially Stella’s appointment, believing that they are heading in the right direction.
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As well as replacing Seidl, the team has also restructured the position of technical director with David Sanchez, who used to be Ferrari’s former head of aerodynamics, replacing the now deceased James Key.
“I gain the trust of the people I work with,” Norris said of his confidence in the team. “Andrea gives me a lot of faith, probably the most I’ve seen in my time here in F1. So that’s good.”
The season the team is currently going through is no surprise, especially after CEO Zak Brown revealed before the start of the season that they had failed to meet their development targets. The MCL60 didn’t treat Norris so well, with the driver scoring just eight points in the first three races of the season. Each of these points came from the Australian Grand Prix, where most of the other drivers were involved in on-track incidents, while the Briton stayed out of trouble.
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The next race is scheduled for next weekend in Baku, Azerbaijan, and both Mercedes drivers, Norris and his teammate Oscar Piastri, will be looking to build on their success at the most recent race in Melbourne.