Norris praises team for Monza improvements despite Italian GP struggles
Norris praises team for Monza improvements despite Italian GP struggles
Lando Norris has praised his team's effort to give him and team-mate Oscar Piastri an improved car at the Italian Grand Prix compared to recent races.
McLaren had a poor start to 2023, with their car looking miles off the pace, and struggling to scrape any points at the majority of races. In fact, they only had 17 points from the first eight races of the season.
They have gone on to take a further 98 points in the next six races, including two podiums, and have looked in much better shape, sitting in fifth in the constructors' championship.
READ MORE: F1 2023 drivers' championship standings after the Italian Grand Prix
However, their performances in the last three races have left them scratching their heads a little bit, with the team seeming almost as far from the podium as they were at the start of the season.
Now, Norris has praised the team for reacting to that, and giving the two drivers a better all-round package this weekend that probably should have yielded more than the eighth and 12th place finishes that Norris and Piastri managed respectively.
"A good race. I think the pace was strong today. It was just very difficult to overtake, as usual, but when we didn’t have to overtake, the pace was good," Norris told the official McLaren website.
"We could pressure Alex the whole race, but he did a very good job, so hats off to him and Williams, they were quick this weekend and managed to stay ahead. I think it was the best we could have done, so happy with that.
"Big thanks go to the team, both at track and at the factory, for reacting after Spa and giving us a more competitive package. We’ll put our heads down now and start focusing on Singapore."
McLaren looking for more
Unfortunately, those places were arguably the best McLaren could have hoped for. Although seeming to have strong pace, the team couldn't manage more than seventh and ninth in qualifying, which led to a difficult race on a track that is hard to overtake unless you have excellent straight-line speed.
Alex Albon in the Williams had exactly that, and managed to keep Norris at bay despite the Englishman pressurising him for a lot of Sunday's race.
Piastri's race was somewhat disrupted after an incident with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who picked up a five second penalty for causing a collision. The Australian's front wing had to be replaced, which all but ended McLaren's hopes of a double points finish.
They will be looking for more as we head into the final eight races of the season, and will be looking to get back onto the podium more regularly, with a place in the top four of the constructors' championship still up for grabs with Aston Martin's apparent regression in performance.
READ MORE: F1 Team Principals: Who are the men in charge in 2023?
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 News Today: ‘Absolute b******s’ Newey claims slammed as Norris INJURED while partying
- 43 minutes ago
Hamilton hit with SURPRISE Ferrari claim as new Cullen relationship blossoms - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
Current F1 star qualifies for world championship race on two wheels
- Yesterday 22:57
Ricciardo given HUGE boost after upgrade claim
- Yesterday 21:57
‘Absolute b******s’ - Newey’s wife SLAMS Red Bull F1 claims
- Yesterday 20:57
Norris INJURED at party with legendary DJ
- Yesterday 19:57
Related news
McLaren leading fight for HUGE cash injection
Young F1 star set to make McLaren debut in injury replacement
F1 star reveals how Verstappen and Hamilton rivalry influenced key decision
Norris reveals CRUCIAL save that kept him at McLaren
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860