Following a woeful start to the 2023 F1 season, McLaren announced on Thursday that a huge restructuring would be taking place, something Lando Norris has responded positively to.
McLaren are certainly a team in need of help after the opening rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, with the team currently yet to score a point.
Rookie Oscar Piastri was on-hand to claim McLaren’s first Q3 appearance of the season in Jeddah last weekend, before having a miserable start to the race.
After retiring in Bahrain, Piastri’s second race in F1 started just as badly, with some damage from his front wing having remarkably flown off and hit Norris, whilst managing to avoid every other driver.
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This saw both Piastri and Norris drop to the back, before going on to finish 15th and 17th respectively.
As a result, a number of changes have been made to the team’s infrastructure to “get McLaren back to the top”, including some notable departures.
It was announced that executive technical director James Key would be leaving the team and that Peter Prodromou would be moving up to lead the aerodynamics department, whilst former Ferrari head of vehicle concept David Sanchez will join in 2024 as the side’s head of performance.
Further changes have been made, with Norris having shared following the news that the entire team “is working flat out” to bounce back in Australia next weekend.
“From team changes to major infrastructure upgrades, every single one of us is working flat out to get McLaren back to the top. Seeya soon ‘straya’,” Norris wrote on Twitter.
Team principal Andrea Stella also spoke after the announcement, with the Italian having shared that he’s “determined and fully focused” in the task of getting McLaren “to the front of the field”.
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“Looking ahead, I am determined and fully focused on leading McLaren back to the front of the field,” said Stella.
“Since taking on the team principal role I have been given the mandate to take a strategic approach to ensure the team is set on a long-term foundation, for us to build on over the years.
“I’m looking forward to continuing working together with Piers, who will play a fundamental role to define and deliver the plans to create an innovative and effective F1 team.”