Lando Norris has described a Ferrari-like comeback by McLaren this season as “achievable”, with the British driver wanting to see the Woking-based side return to the top four in the Constructors’ Championship.
After having made so much progress towards the front in 2020 and 2021, last season was bitterly disappointing for McLaren, as they lost touch with Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes.
It was just over 12 months ago that McLaren were battling Ferrari for third in the Constructors’ Championship, something they narrowly missed out on.
Last year saw McLaren slip very much back into the midfield, with the side having been beaten by the frontrunners and Alpine.
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With that in mind, Norris wants McLaren to copy Ferrari, who dropped into the midfield in 2021 before immediately bouncing back last season to the front.
The 23-year-old wants the British side to “be aiming” for wins, podiums and pole positions, something Ferrari did last year after bouncing back from 2021.
“That’s achievable. I think what they did was extremely good,” he told Autosport, when asked if McLaren can replicate Ferrari’s bounce back.
“Going from where they were [in 2021], from almost getting beat by us, to going to where they are getting wins, fighting for podiums every single weekend… That’s what we need to be aiming for.
“That level of a jump from one season to another. They’ve obviously had, not the luck, but they’ve maximised a new era, a new rules set for F1 with new cars, which has allowed them to make a bigger jump than ever.
“But there’s still plenty of opportunities for us to achieve something like that and that’s where we need to be setting our goals for.”
As optimistic as Norris is, though, about the upcoming season, he doesn’t see himself in title contention until 2024 or 2025, with the latter being the year his lucrative contract with the team expires.
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He believes a win could be on the cards, but that to be in the title fight he’ll need to be “at the absolute top of my game”.
“With everything I’ve learned, maybe I could win a race, but I’m unlikely to win a championship until possibly that time,” Norris told GQ Magazine.
“I know I need to be at the absolute top of my game in those years.”