F1 News: McLaren hopes its upgrades can close gap to Red Bull

(GMM) After Lando Norris chased his friend Max Verstappen to the checkered flag in China, McLaren is now setting its sights on Red Bull.

It’s been a low-profile start to 2024 for the Woking based team, despite quietly and comfortably sitting between Ferrari and Mercedes in the pecking order.

Indeed, Norris made a friendly bet with his engineer on Sunday that he would be 35 seconds behind the nearest Ferrari in the Chinese GP. Ultimately, he beat both red cars.

“I was very wrong,” he smiled.

Norris is under contract to McLaren through 2026, but Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko has mentioned his interest in the 24-year-old twice in as many weeks.

The Briton then flew back to Europe on Verstappen’s private plane after they stood on the podium in China. “Lando was consistent, good tire degradation – surprising given that Oscar Piastri was struggling,” noted 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg.

Lando Norris flies back from the 2024 Chinese GP with Max Verstappen

McLaren – like Ferrari and Mercedes – are now planning to unveil car upgrades in Miami next weekend.

“I believe that we can still beat Red Bull this year,” said team boss Andrea Stella.

“We seemed to lose ground because we gained so much ground when Red Bull weren’t developing,” he added. “Over a longer period, we’re on a strong trajectory.

“If we keep this up for the next 12 months, why not?”

Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing, Second placed Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren, Third placed Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Oracle Red Bull Racing Head of Car Engineering Paul Monaghan celebrate on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of China at Shanghai International Circuit on April 21, 2024 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Eventually producing a winning car may be the only way McLaren can hang onto Norris, given Red Bull’s clear interest.

“His father always jokes that Lando won’t win a grand prix until Max retires,” Marko said in Shanghai. “I told him that he has to come to us, then he would definitely go faster.”

And just days earlier, the Red Bull advisor had said about Norris and Piastri: “Both drivers are certainly interesting for us for the future.”

Sergio Perez sounded optimistic in China that he was heading for a new Red Bull contract, but Marko also hinted that an original request for a “three year deal” had been ruled out.

Verstappen alongside his friend Norris might certainly spice up Formula 1.

“If you see the same driver winning every single time without a fight then of course it does start to become boring and that is obvious,” Norris said in Shanghai.

“If Max wasn’t there and you had two Perez’s it wouldn’t be the case.”

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“I have already said it, I don’t need any more confidence. There’s more evidence [from China],” McLaren driver Norris told Sky Sports F1.

“I said it at the beginning of the year that I think we can fight against Red Bull, and we’ll be able to get a win this year.

“It’s not going to come easy. I don’t think it will come for a while, but right day, right time, good conditions, things which suit our car a little bit more – 100 percent I have the faith in the team and I have the faith in my ability to be able to pull it off.

“It’s not often I have faith in something, whether it’s myself or my abilities or whatever like that sometimes,” Norris added.

“But I’m trying to change, trying to do better and one of those things is having more confidence in what I can and what we can achieve, and one of them is by saying, ‘I think we can win a race this year’.”

“But it does need to be the right place, right time. I don’t think on average we’re close enough for the time being. But I want to believe.”