Max Verstappen Unleashes Warning Shot: Norris Responds with Confidence Amidst Red Bull Buzz
Before the 2024 Formula One season, Lando Norris has sent a warning to his opponents by announcing that he intends to bring the McLaren name back to the top step of the podium and that he will win his first Grand Prix within the next 12 months.
In spite of McLaren coming at the season beginning in Bahrain with the slowest car in the competition, the 24-year-old had his best F1 season to date in 2023, finishing sixth in the standings and driving the team to fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Even though Norris finished on the podium seven times along the way—six of which put him in second place—he was unable to win a race. The success of rookie teammate Oscar Piastri, who defeated Max Verstappen in the Qatari sprint race to claim McLaren’s lone victory of the season, only served to exacerbate his concerns.
But if McLaren’s performance following the summer break is any indication, Norris might be Verstappen and Red Bull’s closest rival when the 2024 season gets underway.
When asked when he thought he would win his first Grand Prix, Norris said with confidence in his team’s chances as well as his own: “It’s going to be next year, and I’m with McLaren next year, I feel like we’re so close.”
We have a number of new players that are starting as well, coming from other teams, and we have a lot more things in place. We’re in a stronger position now than we have likely been in the last ten years.
We finally have the wind tunnel operating well, and a lot of things are coming together more than they have in the past, so I think there will be more to look forward to in the coming year. Going into 2024 is probably the one point in my life over the last five years where I would like to be a little more self-assured.
All we need to do is get the season off to a great start. We had a terrible start to the year, but we ended up being quite powerful. Thus, I believe it can be a fantastic year if we can at least get off to a decent start to the season.”
As he prepares for his sixth season with McLaren, Norris is dedicated to the team that gave him his F1 debut back in 2019, despite the rumours that he would eventually join Red Bull and the commendatory remarks made by Christian Horner and Helmut Marko.