The new regulations that were brought into effect at the start of 2022 were supposed to bring the field closer together and make the sport more competitive, however these effects are yet to be seen following the first season of this new era.
The only driver to score a podium that did not race for Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull in 2022 was McLaren’s Lando Norris, who picked up an impressive P3 finish in Imola despite his team struggling to adapt to the new regulations.
The 23-year-old outscored his eight-time Grand Prix winning teammate Daniel Ricciardo by 85 points and single handedly took the fight to Alpine in the constructors’ championship.
The best of the rest driver in 2022 has been heavily linked with a move to Red Bull in recent weeks, after it was revealed that Norris held talks with the energy drink giants prior to renewing his contract with McLaren.
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At 32 years of age, Sergio Perez will most likely depart Red Bull upon the expiration of his contract at the end of 2024, but it has been rumoured that Norris could replace the Mexican even sooner as he hunts for his first win in Formula 1.
McLaren are a matter of months away from completing their brand new state-of-the-art wind tunnel facility, which will aid the team significantly as they continue their quest to return to their title winning days of old.
Norris has claimed that he has faith in his team and their project, appreciating their honestly for where they currently are and where they believe they can be in the future.
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Sky Sports pundits have urged Norris to make the move to Red Bull and drive a championship winning car rather than waiting for McLaren to catch up, as they believe that both team and driver would benefit from the Brit replacing the Mexican at Milton Keynes based team.
Express Sport have recently published the results of a poll where they asked F1 fans to give their opinion on what decision Norris should make in the future, with 65 percent of fans believing that the 23-year-old should keep his faith in McLaren rather than jumping ship to partner Max Verstappen.
While it clearly seems Norris’ intention to remain with his current team and trust in their long-term project, it remains to be seen how patient the Brit will be should McLaren fail to become as competitive as they plan to be in the coming years.