Lando Norris fully backs the trajectory that his team, Woking-based McLaren, has achieved over the past 9 months.
Compared to the 2023 season start, McLaren amassed a double points finish in Bahrain and already made a sizeable jump compared to 12 months earlier.
Accordingly, Norris commented on the gap between the papaya-colored outfit against Red Bull.
“I don’t think it was concerning at all, honestly,” Norris said.
“I think considering how much we’ve still been able to close the gap, considering that they spent a lot of time developing and making a new car for this year, I’m pretty happy with how close we were to Red Bull.
“You’re not surprised at all but we were surprised at how close we are and how close a lot of teams were.”
McLaren’s leading and more experienced driver was not only surprised at the team’s comparable pace but also at the competitor’s pace, most notably Ferrari.
“Even when you look at Carlos, relative to Sergio, if Carlos wasn’t stuck behind Sergio in the middle stint, [the gap] probably wouldn’t have been as big. I think [it’s] signs of hope for everyone.”
Although Norris shows optimism regarding his new car, the Briton also stressed that Red Bull’s challenger is yet to fulfill its maximum potential.
“I’m sure they’re still learning about the car, it’s a very different concept they have.”