F1 News: Lando Norris Describes Positive Signs on Wind-Sensitive MCL38 - "So Close To Mercedes"

Lando Norris highlighted the positive aspects of the 2024 car after the Bahrain GP. However, much work remains to be done.

Lando Norris highlights the positive signs of the 2024 MCL38 F1 car after the Bahrain Grand Prix as he got incredibly close to George Russell's W15 Mercedes car. However, despite the improvement, the McLaren driver explains that there's work left to be done on the wind-sensitive F1 car.

Key Takeaways:

• Norris sees positive signs in the MCL38's Bahrain performance but highlights wind sensitivity as an area for improvement.
• McLaren's Bahrain GP marks an improvement from the previous year but falls short of the impressive 2023 season's second half. Norris finishes sixth, and Piastri takes eighth after battling Mercedes drivers.
• Norris acknowledges ongoing improvements and consistency challenges, expressing uncertainty about the car's performance on high-speed tracks like Jeddah.

The results of the 2024 season opener were widely expected for the Woking squad, showcasing a substantial improvement from its position at the same venue one year earlier. Nevertheless, the team's progress doesn't parallel the impressive comeback it made in the second half of the 2023 season.

In the Bahrain Grand Prix, Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri engaged in a sustained battle with Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, ultimately securing a sixth-place finish for Norris and an eighth-place finish for Piastri.

Highlighting the areas for improvement on the 2024 car that remain similar to what was needed last year, Norris remained positive about getting close to Mercedes. Speaking to the media, he said:

"It's no different to last year.

"Those things we've not been able to tackle, other things which make us so up and down every weekend.

"It's something I think that made us struggle so much today and the wind changed. Some corners just felt shockingly bad compared to yesterday.

"I think it's clear there are still a lot of areas we need to focus on if we want to be more consistent and challenge.

"But considering it's a track we struggle with still, the fact we're so close to Mercedes is still a good sign for us that at some tracks we'll be able to be ahead. I'm confident, the team is doing a good job and it's a good starting position."

Setting a limit, Norris feels the maximum he could have achieved, given his car's characteristics, was to overtake Russell and maintain that position. He added:

"We were close to Mercedes, I don't think we had any advantage over them.

"The pace was so similar that, as soon as I got into the dirty air, I didn't have enough of an advantage to have a chance to overtake or even get within DRS.

"Maybe I could have been ahead of George, but that's about it. I think we're where we expect it to be and that's just a good start to the season, so I'm happy with that."

When asked if the car would show brighter colors in Jeddah, Norris displayed excitement but, also highlighted potential struggles. He said:

"Honestly, I don't know. It's a bit more high speed, a bit more medium speed, which normally suits us.

"But it's also a track where you want to have a good front at apex and this is something we don't have at all, so there are still going to be things we're going to struggle with a lot.

"On average, the track speed is higher, which maybe should suit us a bit more, so I'm excited for it."

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