"We're going to struggle a lot more," says McLaren F1 team driver Lando Norris
Aug 03, 2023
Spa [Belgium], August 3 : While Red Bull has delivered a historic run to win all 12 Grands Prix, along with three Sprints, going into the summer break, McLaren is now part of a fierce battle taking place behind Verstappen. In a recent interview, Lando Norris said that the team is going to struggle a lot more.
Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari have each at times appeared to be Red Bull's nearest challenger, but the hierarchy has fluctuated with the arrival of upgrades and depending on the suitable of tracks to each team's car.
According to the official website of Sky Sports, asked whether McLaren's July performances had confirmed they will be in podium contention for the remainder of the season, Lando Norris said: "I want to give a straight answer, yes. There's definitely going to be some races that we're going to struggle a lot more."
He added, "The same with every team, every year - sometimes they'll be like, 'yeah, I'm definitely confident we can do it,' and there's going to be somewhere you're like, 'this just doesn't quite suit us enough to confidently be there."
The British driver said, "And we have two cars, two Red Bulls that basically should be one-two every single race this year. So it's like kind of fighting for third place and if things happen with one of those two drivers, then maybe you're fighting for second or first."
23-year-old Lando Norris said, "But really, there's only one spot that you're kind of actually looking at, and you have two Mercedes who have been very consistent all season, and then you can never count out Ferrari and Aston, especially this year."
While concluding he stated, "I think they [McLaren fans] should still be very happy that we're not fighting for 18th and 19th, I'm very happy, even if we were behind Mercedes now, I'm still very, very happy with the progress we 've made."