Lando Norris reveals upgrade hope amid unwanted McLaren five-race streak
Lando Norris has revealed he is hoping McLaren's latest upgrade
package can put the team back into podium contention this weekend,
as the Woking-based squad continues its longest barren run of the
season. Norris and McLaren have gone five races without a podium
finish, a drought stretching back to Azerbaijan, with the Briton's
results in that run ranging from fourth to a retirement in Baku.
McLaren has introduced a revised front wing, a modified rear wing
and new floor components for the São Paulo Grand Prix, aimed at
recovering aerodynamic performance that has slipped behind rivals
Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes in recent months. The update also
doubles as an early test for a front-wing concept destined for next
year's car, according to the team. But Norris has cautioned that
the small package carries risk as well as reward, warning it could
make the already tricky MCL40 harder to drive on the limit. Lando
Norris eyeing podium 'as soon as possible' Asked whether the new
parts could push McLaren back into the fight for podiums, Norris
told select media, including RacingNews365 , that he was uncertain
but encouraged by recent underlying pace. "I hope so. I don't know.
I certainly feel like the last few weekends, the pace has not been
too bad on Sundays," he said. "So I feel like if things had gone
just a little bit better, talking small amounts, we certainly could
have had better results. And I'm hoping that the upgrades and some
of the things we have this weekend can maybe just shift us a little
bit more in this direction. "I certainly don't expect to go out and
win races all of a sudden, but the last few weekends we've
certainly not been miles away. We certainly have some weaknesses in
the car, and just the drivability, the difficulty of driving it, is
certainly one of the biggest factors at the minute, but the
potential has been there. "So, I hope if it just puts us a little
bit further forward in qualifying, we just have a little bit better
of a chance in the race. And, of course, I would like to be back on
the podium as soon as possible."
