F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Norris 'excited' to see where upgrades will land McLaren

Lando Norris says he's "excited" to see the impact of the significant upgrade package that McLaren will begin to roll out at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.

The Woking-based outfit revised the floor of its MCL60 in Azerbaijan back in April as part of a change of philosophy decided by the team. But the three-stage package that will be spread over three races – in Austria, Britain and Hungary – will equate to rolling out a veritable B-spec car.

"Of course, I look forward to anything that's new," said Norris, quoted by Motorsport.com. "And, of course, it's been a lot of work that's gone into it, too. I think we've been quite patient with what we've had.

"We've been chipping away at many other things at the same time. We've not brought a lot of pure lap time to the table over the since beginning of the year.

"Of course, we had the new floor in Baku, but that was for philosophy rather than absolute performance.

“But putting it all together, putting in the work that we've been doing – I think we've been doing a good job with what we've had, made the most of the opportunities that we've had. Maybe one or two that we've missed out on, but that's about it."

In Canada two weeks ago, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella called McLaren's programme update a "major overhaul" impacting almost "every single aerodynamic part" of its MCL60.

The Italian expressed his hope that the wholesale changes would represent "a milestone "in turning team papaya's season around. While excited to see the effect of the changes, Norris is also keeping his expectations somewhat in check.

©McLaren

"Of course, it's not on track just yet. I'm confident it will be a step forward. But how much is the question," he added. "So I don't want to get too overexcited about all of it, like I never do!

"But yeah, it's a lot of work that's going into it. So I'm excited to see all of that kind of come through, and see what we're capable of doing."

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

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

FIA confirms Red Bull-Ford’s lead in second ADUO evaluation

Red Bull-Ford has retained its position as Formula 1’s power unit benchmark after the FIA…

3 hours ago

Audi F1 junior Slater hails ‘incredible’ Madring after F3 test

Spain’s new Madring has yet to host its first Formula 1 race, but FIA F3…

4 hours ago

Webber reveals how F1 greats shaped his guidance of Piastri

Mark Webber’s role in Oscar Piastri’s career is not simply about managing the McLaren driver’s…

5 hours ago

Hot off the press, cool in the cockpit

Had Niki Lauda been given the good fortune to read the next day's newspaper on…

7 hours ago

Ferrari set for emotional Michael Schumacher tribute at Monza

Few places in Formula 1 carry as much emotional weight for Ferrari as Monza, and…

8 hours ago

Red Bull hit with Dutch GP reality check: ‘We’ve taken a step back’

Red Bull has been forced to confront an uncomfortable reality after the Dutch Grand Prix,…

9 hours ago