Norris: McLaren car still 'far away from what I want'

Lando Norris says McLaren's strong progress has come hand in hand with his own growing confidence despite the behaviour of his MCL60 still being nowhere near what he wants from a car.

McLaren's current development programme which has significantly transformed its car since Austria, and which will continue to unfold after F1's summer break has undeniably boosted team papaya's performance.

Norris captured fourth at the Red Bull Ring earlier this month before enjoying back-to-back second place finishes at Silverstone and last weekend in Hungary, while teammate Oscar Piastri claimed two top-five results in the last two events.

The team's remarkable step forward has bolstered Norris' confidence, and yet the Briton remains largely at odds with his machine.

"I think my general pace and ability to put laps together, and things like this, has improved, not as much as I would like," he said in Hungary.

"The car still doesn’t handle anywhere like what I would want from a car. If you said ‘What do you need from a perfect car?’, I feel it’s really far away from what I want.

• Read also: F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2023 Hungarian GP

"But its head is a little bit in that direction, which is a good thing for me. It’s how I want to be able to drive and push the car.

"It has improved my confidence, I guess."

Norris conceded that the more predictable behaviour of this year's McLaren is in stark contrast to the inconsistent characteristics of the car fielded last season by the Woking-based outfit.

"I would come in and they would say ‘What’s the problem?’", he said. "From one lap to another, it just changed and I didn’t know how to improve and so on."

But the team's development programme, while still unfolding, has left Norris with a clearer picture of his machine's potential, and with much less anomalies to think about.

"Now I feel like it’s a slightly clearer direction that I need to be working in, which is a good thing," he explained.

"I can just focus on more simple things with my driving, so it has improved my confidence quite a bit, not to the level that I still want, but to go out and drive how I want, to feel confident and just drive freely, to not have to think about it too much.

"It makes a big difference. Maybe it’s how my brain works but the more I think the worse I do. Now I have to think less which is a good thing."

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