Norris: McLaren needs more than Mercedes engines to win

Lando Norris says Mercedes' engines will add to McLaren's performance next season but insists many improvements will be necessary for the Woking-based outfit to be able to compete for race wins.

McLaren's three-year partnership with Renault will end at the end of the current season after which the team will switch to Mercedes power, the pair reviving the successful relationship they enjoyed in the late 90s and 2000s.

The move was greeted with a great deal of enthusiasm at Woking, but Norris says the German power unit alone won't thrust McLaren into the winner's circle.

"It’s something to look forward to," said Norris on Wednesday, shortly after enjoyinh his Supercars Eseries debut

"It’s what we believe will be an addition and something to help us step forward. But it’s not going to be everything."

• McLaren won't 'waste time' protesting Racing Point charger

Norris highlighted the progress that McLaren's MCL35 chassis still required to put itself in the mix.

"There’s a lot of time that we still need to find in the chassis itself and not just rely on the engine.

"So it’s a help and it’s a step forward but there’s a lot of things in Formula 1, so many things that are part of making a Formula 1 car to go quickly and this is just one of hundreds of thousands.

"So it’s good, it’s something we look forward to, something that we definitely think is going to be helping us.

"We have to get this season out of the way and work as hard as we can for now and then look forward to it next year."

©McLaren

Looking ahead at the hypothetical start of the 2020 season in Austria in early July, Norris reckons drivers are going to be "busy" over the summer in races that will also be physically taxing.

"It's going to be busy. I think as soon as we do get back racing they want to fit a lot of races in," he commented.

"So it’s going to be tough physically to jump back in a Formula 1 car, one of the fastest cars in the world, the most physical cars to drive.

"It’s not going be easy. But I’m very excited. I want to get back racing as soon as possible, as soon as it’s safe to do so and I can’t wait to get the opportunity."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter