McLaren have enjoyed an average campaign, picking up a podium back in Imola and sitting fifth in the constructors’ championship.
On a personal level Lando Norris will be happy with how his 2022 has gone, blowing teammate Daniel Ricciardo out of the water with his performances, being beaten in the drivers’ standing only by the Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull drivers, which he would have expected.
The young Brit has defied expectations all year, picking up points on a regular basis despite the team’s slow start under the new regulations and struggling to find pace in the car.
The team from Woking are only seven points behind rivals Alpine going into the final two races of the season, but Norris has hinted that the team might have to rely on a strong result in Abu Dhabi if they wish to overtake the French team, with Brazil not expected to suit their car.
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“I wouldn’t say Brazil is going to suit us at all with the balance of the car and out struggles,” he suggested.
“I think even the last few races we’ve not been the quickest car or quick enough – we’ve just done a better job with the strategy and with reliability to at least get to the checkered flag.”
McLaren have been edging closer and closer to Alpine in recent weeks, with the Mexican Grand Prix seeing the gap close to single digits.
Daniel Ricciardo took advantage of the soft compound tyres to storm through late on to a seventh place finish, while while his Alpine rival Fernando Alonso once again had to retire due to even more issues with his engine, seeing a massive swing in points.
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With Norris being so impressive for McLaren at such a young age, speculation has already begun as to where the Brit’s future lies, with Norris himself revealing that he had talks with Red Bull, amongst other teams, before deciding to renew his contract with McLaren.
The team began to achieve some impressive results in 2021, regularly competing for podiums and battling Ferrari as their main rivals, but the new regulations have seen the team take a step back despite many tipping them to be one of the stronger teams coming in to 2022.
It remains to be seen how long Norris will wait for a car capable of winning races, but having signed a multi-year contract, it would take a sizeable fee to pry the 22-year-old away from McLaren.