McLaren driver Lando Norris explains his goals for the 2022 Formula One season and describes where his team needs to catch up with Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari
“I would love to win a Grand Prix for the first time in the 2022 Formula 1 season after narrowly missing out in Sochi last season. But at the presentation of the new McLaren-Mercedes MCL36, Norris was not entirely convinced that his team will be in a position to race at the absolute top in 2022.
Because of the new Formula 1 rules, there is still a lot of uncertainty at the moment, Norris stresses: “We don’t know yet whether it will go well, badly or differently. We’ll have to wait and see.”
But he is basically confident about his fourth season with McLaren. In any case, the goal must be to try to attack Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari, says Norris. “Whether we can do that is hard to say. We know what a high level they operate at. “
Why Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari have an advantage
In addition, the aforementioned racing teams have a technical advantage. Norris: “They have many things that will be better than ours for years to come, such as the wind tunnel or the simulator.” He says his team is in the process of upgrading its own infrastructure, but will not be in the same league as the current industry giants in this respect as early as 2022.
“So we can’t be as good [as Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari] because our starting position is not as good comparatively as theirs,” Norris says. “We therefore have to make sure we are as prepared as possible. That’s the best we can do. “
Perhaps, then, McLaren will remain in a chasing position in the 2022 season, with no prospect of the hoped-for leap forward or a direct duel with the previous top teams. Norris: “If it means P3 or P4, then we have to be happy with that. If it goes better, then wonderful. “
The true strength of McLaren, however, will only be seen when the new technical facilities at Woking are completed, he said. “Then you can expect even more progress from us,” says Norris. “Then we’ll have fewer excuses, so to speak. We still want to take them on as early as this year. “
When will Norris get his first win?
He himself is striving for his first grand prix win, as the race outcome in Sochi 2021 “still hurts” him, he insists. “Especially with so many people asking me about it!”
Continuing, Norris says: “I want to win races. If it happens this year, then wonderful. If not, then I just hope it happens the following year. It doesn’t bother me at all. Of course, I would like to have the first win in Russia. I’d like to win this year for the first time and make the most of our opportunities.”
“You never know. We just have to see what our possibilities are this year. If possible, I would like to tick that off. On the other hand, I’ll have to wait and see and hope it’s not too much longer. “
Norris is a “fan” of the new McLaren look
Norris, meanwhile, is undoubtedly convinced by the colour design of the new McLaren MCL36: “I’ve liked it from the start. I’m a fan of bright colours, as you can see from my helmet. It was like that when I was a kid and became a fan of Valentino Rossi. To see that now on a Formula One car, that makes it even cooler.”
He particularly likes the black content because, “Everything that’s black is just the bare carbon fibre. So you can see little imperfections and how everything fits together. I love that. I had a similar design in Formula 3 before. Back then I drove completely in the carbon fibre look, with a few little stickers. “
McLaren is not just doing something for the looks of the car with this, Norris explains, “It not only looks good, it’s fast. You keep the weight down if you don’t use paint. So there’s performance in there.”
But how much performance, Norris is not sure. He just says, “Hopefully the car is as fast as it looks. But I’m already a fan. I think the new car looks great, especially up close. “
What irritates Norris about the 2022 car
There’s only one thing that irritates Norris about this year’s Formula One cars: the overall visual impression created by the new rules. “It’s like Halo back in the day,” Norris says. “It looked horrible at first, but now it’s normal, looks like a normal part of a Formula One car.”
“It will be the same with this car: At the beginning it looks quite weird and strange, but the more time you spend with it, the more normal everything becomes.”
But it’s the front wing in particular that you have to get used to. Because it has been raised slightly compared to last year, it “doesn’t look good” on Norris. Reason: “The wing seems to be almost halfway up the front tyres. But what has looked very cool over the past few years is when the front wings almost touch the ground. It just looks more dynamic, and cooler.”
“Now when the front wing hangs so high, it doesn’t look so fancy. But you just have to get used to that. And when I’m sitting in the car, I can’t see the wing anyway. But of course it’s always nice to have a car that’s nice to look at. “
