Lando Norris responds to day of MASSIVE change at McLaren

Oli Lawrie
Friday 24 March 2023 07:57 - Updated: 09:50

Lando Norris has responded positively to a day of radical change for McLaren following a miserable start to the 2023 season for the team in papaya.

The Woking team reacted swiftly to their uninspiring results in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia by restructuring their team on Thursday, with the biggest news the departure of executive technical director James Key.

Peter Prodromou will now head up the aerodynamics department, while Ferrari’s former Head of Concept David Sanchez will rejoin the team 2024 as head of performance after spending 10 years at Maranello.

Neil Houldey will lead on engineering and design, and Piers Thynne will move into an expanded role as the chief operating officer for the F1 team.

Norris' own future has been the subject of much speculation with McLaren failing to give him a competitive car so far in 2023. He has been linked with moves to the likes of Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari.

Lando though is currently on a long-term contract with the Woking team, and he re-iterated his commitment to helping them through this difficult period. Starting at next week's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Writing on Twitter, he said: "From team changes to major infrastructure upgrades, every single one of us is working flat out to get McLaren back to the top. Seeya soon 'straya 🇦🇺"

From team changes to major infrastructure upgrades, every single one of us is working flat out to get McLaren back to the top. Seeya soon 'straya 🇦🇺 https://t.co/Frhw0OJdjY

— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) March 23, 2023

This radical restructuring came after McLaren have failed miserably to live up to pre-season expectations. Norris himself finished just 17th in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

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Andrea Stella on McLaren changes

Speaking about the changes, team principal Andrea Stella noted the long-term impact of this latest move.

“Looking ahead, I am determined and fully focused on leading McLaren back to the front of the field.

"Since taking on the team principal role I have been given the mandate to take a strategic approach to ensure the team is set on a long-term foundation, for us to build on over the years," added Stella..

“I’m looking forward to continuing working together with Piers, who will play a fundamental role to define and deliver the plans to create an innovative and effective F1 team.”

READ MORE: Stella concedes upgrades 'will NOT be enough' as McLaren woes continue