Ahead of the upcoming 2024 Formula 1 season, Lando Norris has revealed what he learnt last season and in what areas he made progress.
2023 was a strange yet exceptional year for Norris, as he ended the campaign as one of the fastest drivers on the grid.
The same couldn’t be said at the beginning of last season, as McLaren entered the 2023 championship with one of the weakest cars on the grid.
Norris was often towards the back in the opening rounds, as he couldn’t use his full potential in what was initially a poor car.
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However, when McLaren introduced a significant upgrades package to the MCL60 at the Austrian Grand Prix, everything changed.
He suddenly became a regular podium finisher and was really Max Verstappen’s biggest threat on several occasions, particularly at the British Grand Prix.
Norris heroically led the opening laps of his home race, before he was overtaken by the three-time World Champion.
Had it not been for McLaren starting 2023 with a bad car, Norris would’ve likely challenged Sergio Perez for second in the Drivers’ Championship.
Whilst he was stellar last year, one thing which was notable is how often he spoke negatively about himself in front of cameras.
Norris was very open whenever he was annoyed with himself, both with reporters and with his team.
The 24-year-old revealed that he learnt last season that he preferred it when the Woking-based side were “honest” with him, even if the truth was “brutal”.
He simply just wanted complete honesty from McLaren last year both when things went well and when they went badly, although he admits this isn’t “always easy to do”.
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“There’s a lot of things that I’ve learned from a driving perspective and teamwork perspective. For example, even more openness, I think we put quite a bit of effort in as a team in this area,” Norris told the official McLaren website.
“When working with my engineers, in terms of being very open with one another, that is not something new or something I have only just learned, it is something I have always done and continue to do.
“I just prefer the honest truth. I would rather have the brutal, honest truth. If I suck, tell me I suck. If I’m good, tell me I’m good. It is not always easy to do, but it is very important, and we will continue to do this to teach and help other people.”