McLaren driver Lando Norris believes his team is still “a long way” behind leaders Red Bull Racing and top-runners Scuderia Ferrari.
The Papaya-themed team had a poor start to the 2023 season, but made an impressive recovery after the summer break, placing themselves as the best of the midfield and even challenging the leaders in some occasions.
However, while things seem to be better for McLaren than what it was last year around the same period, Norris believes they are still behind the top dominant squads.
“We had a decent car at the end of last season, and I think we’ve definitely taken some steps in the right direction,” Norris told the media after the tests.
“But I think we’re still quite a long way behind Red Bull and a long way behind for Ferrari.
“Definitely, coming into this season, this test, and this year, we’re on the right foot for once,” he added. “I don’t think we’ve done that at all in the last three, four years.
“We’ve come in attacking a bit more with various things, rather than not being sure if [the car] is going to be ready, or we don’t think we’ve maximized this area and that area.
“I think we’ve come in with much more knowledge and expertise and just a much better car to start the season off with.”
Norris said he is “excited and have been since the very beginning, properly starting the year in a good position and then seeing how we can transform things because I think we obviously did a very good job with that last year.”