Lando Norris sets bold McLaren target for F1 2024 after first MCL38 laps

While battling Red Bull straight out of the blocks in F1 2024 may be a stretch, Lando Norris has targeted keeping pace with Mercedes and Ferrari after his first laps at the wheel of the McLaren MCL38.

Following the launch of McLaren’s F1 2024 car, Norris got the opportunity to put it through its initial paces in a shakedown run at Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix.

The conditions may not have been great, with drizzly and cold weather descending upon the circuit, but that did not dampen Norris’ mood as he got an initial feeling for the car that he and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri will take into battle for the season ahead.

McLaren has season approach right ‘for first time in a while’

Speaking to the official Formula 1 website after the MCL38 shakedown, where a maximum of 200km of running was permitted, Norris said McLaren are coming into the F1 2024 campaign “prepared as we should be” for “the first time in a while” as he set out a bold yet realistic starting point.

McLaren went from one of the slowest teams on the 2023 grid to regular podium contenders with nine scored by the end of the campaign, while Piastri won the Qatar sprint race, so Norris wants to pick up where he and McLaren left off by continuing to take the ‘best-of-the-rest’ fight to Mercedes and Ferrari with their heavily revised cars.

“Compared to the last few years, I think we’re in a much better position,” said Norris.

“So good for myself, good for the whole team, just for the confidence, the motivation for everyone. You never want to go into a season not expecting to kind of do well, and I think for the first time in a while we’re coming in here just prepared as we should be as a Formula 1 team.

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“I’m looking forward to it. It’s a lot of question marks, things we’ve got to try and understand and so forth, but I’m looking forward to getting back to Bahrain and pushing it to the limit and really getting to see what we can achieve, but I’m excited.

“If we can at least start where we ended up and start in that battle for, I want to say first, I’m sure Red Bull are going to start off well, and I think if we can be in that battle with Ferrari, with Mercedes and maybe some others, and just be close, I’m confident we can go from there.”

Pre-season testing will take place in Bahrain from February 21-23, ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix to be held the following weekend.

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