Lando Norris is certain that he’s going to win his first Formula 1 race next season, with him feeling like himself and McLaren are “so close” to finishing on the top step of the podium.
Whilst Norris was exceptional in the second half of 2023, he never really had a serious chance at victory, given Max Verstappen’s dominance.
The British driver did lead the opening laps of his home race but never really challenged Verstappen for victory once the three-time World Champion got back past.
Norris’ best chance at winning in 2023 was arguably at the Singapore Grand Prix, where he finished right behind winner Carlos Sainz, although it should be noted that the Ferrari driver managed the gap to his ex-teammate superbly.
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It does seem to be a matter of when rather than if Norris will become an F1 race winner, especially as McLaren now have a package which can compete with the frontrunners.
If the Woking-based side can make further improvements to the MCL60 over the winter break, then there is no doubting that Norris will have plenty of opportunities to win in 2024.
Of course, he’ll also need Verstappen to be slightly less dominant, as he was victorious in a record-breaking 86.4 per cent of the races this year.
A maiden win next year would be a great way for Norris to celebrate his fifth year with McLaren, with him believing more than anyone else that his time will finally come in 2024.
“It’s going to be next year, and I’m with McLaren next year, I feel like we’re so close,” Norris said when asked when he’ll finally claim his first win, as per the Mirror.
“We have a lot more things in place, we’ve got a few new guys who are starting as well, coming from other teams. Now, we’re in the strongest place we’ve been for probably the last 10 years.
“I feel like we’ve got more things to look forward to next year – we’ve finally got the wind tunnel properly going and so many things which are coming together more than ever. If there’s ever a time in my life, over the last five years, I want to be a bit more confident, it’s probably going into 2024.
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“But we just need to start the season off well. This year we started off terribly and we’ve still ended up being very, very strong. So if we can start the season a little bit strong, at least, then I think it can be a great year.”
To-date, the closest Norris has arguably come to victory is at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, where he looked set to win prior to a late downpour.
Norris made the mistake of not pitting immediately for Intermediate tyres when the heavy rain started in the closing laps, resulting in him sliding off the circuit and handing victory to Lewis Hamilton.