McLaren has had a difficult start to the 2022 Formula 1 season, failing to score points in the first two races. However, the team is hoping for a turnaround in the 2023 season as it observes improvements in driver closeness between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
McLaren Sees Driver Closeness Improvements with Piastri
After Daniel Ricciardo’s disappointing two-year stint with the team, McLaren signed Piastri as his replacement. Ricciardo found it hard to adapt to the needs of the two McLarens he drove and was comprehensively beaten by Norris. In contrast, Piastri has outqualified Norris in Saudi Arabia and is seen as a quicker driver by McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.
Piastri’s competitiveness is providing references to Lando himself, and they have more aligned comments than in previous years. Both drivers are dealing with a slightly recalcitrant MCL60 awaiting significant updates and are keeping each other on their toes. While McLaren admits that the car is trickier to drive and requires more work to put clean laps together, it sees promising developments between Norris and Piastri.
Speculation Surrounding Lando Norris’ Future with McLaren
There have been rumors that Lando Norris may leave McLaren due to the team’s poor performance this season, but there are reportedly no exit clauses in his contract. In fact, Norris signed a four-year extension worth £80 million in February of last season. However, former McLaren driver Jenson Button believes that Norris may be regretting signing a long-term deal with the team.
Ex-driver Karun Chandhok believes that Norris could potentially replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in the future. Nonetheless, McLaren CEO Zak Brown is confident that Norris is content with the team and sees the progress they are making. Norris has implied in the past that there may be “things” within his contract that could allow him to leave, but he remains committed to McLaren for the next four years.
McLaren Struggles to Score Points in Early Season
Both McLaren and Norris have yet to score any points after the first two races of the season, a first for Norris since his Formula 1 debut. The car isn’t performing well, and Norris commented that it’s not quick and struggles in the dirty air too much. Norris is currently last in the championship, and teammate Oscar Piastri is second-to-last going into his first home F1 race this weekend.
Reliability issues have plagued both cars in the season opener, and both were hamstrung on the first lap in Jeddah by the same incident. The McLaren might be just fast enough to hold position, but it can do little else. The team needs to improve its performance if it hopes to score points. Additionally, the ultratight midfield competition is hampering McLaren’s efforts.
With a big upgrade scheduled for Azerbaijan, McLaren is hoping for a turnaround in its performance going forward. The team acknowledges that it needs to work hard and make improvements if it hopes to compete seriously during the 2023 season.
In conclusion, despite a challenging start to the early 2022 season, McLaren is optimistic about improving its performance in 2023. Observing improvements between drivers Norris and Piastri, as well as banking on a big upgrade scheduled for Azerbaijan, are just some of the things fueling their optimism. While speculation surrounds Norris’ future with the team, McLaren is moving forward knowing that they have a talented young driver committed to them for at least four more years.
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