- Red Bull has won 16 of the 17 races so far this season
- Max Verstappen has won the drivers’ championship for the third time in a row
- Lando Norris finished on the podium five times in the last eight races
Lando Norris believes McLaren can beat Red Bull next season and take over the mantle of favorites in a number of races.
Red Bull’s stranglehold on Formula 1 shows no signs of easing: the Milton Keynes team has won 16 of the 17 races so far this season, while Max Verstappen secured his third consecutive world title.
Red Bull’s dominance has overshadowed McLaren’s resurgence in the second half of the season, with Norris finishing on the podium five times in the past eight races.
Norris finished second at Silverstone and at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July, finished second in Singapore and Japan and was third in Qatar last week, when he also finished third in the sprint race.
His teammate Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, finished third behind him in Suzuka and second a week ago.
Lando Norris believes McLaren can beat Red Bull next season and take over the mantle of favorites in a number of races
Norris (right) and teammate Oscar Piastri (left) finished second and third respectively behind Max Verstappen in Qatar last weekend
The two sit seventh and ninth respectively in the drivers’ standings, while McLaren is fifth in the constructors’ championship, just 11 points behind fourth-placed Aston Martin.
And Norris believes the recent string of results shows McLaren has what it takes to challenge Red Bull’s hegemony next season, at least in some races.
“If we have a strong start to the season in 2024 and continue to develop our car, I think we can be the favorites for victory at times next year,” he told Dutch website RacingNews365.
“This means that we can enter the race as favorites at a number of circuits from mid-season or the end of next year.”
However, the 23-year-old admitted that Red Bull will remain the team to beat next season due to their superior car.
“They can perform well on any track, while that is not the case with us,” he explained.
‘We have a number of circuits where we are doing very well, such as Silverstone for example, but at other circuits we are having a very difficult time. We have to try to improve consistency.”
While Red Bull remains the dominant force in Formula 1, Norris chose Mercedes as the benchmark for the rest of the pack.
Verstappen won the drivers’ championship in Qatar for the third time in a row
Norris and Piastri have finished on the podium seven times together this season and the Brit believes McLaren can be even better next year
After a run of eight consecutive constructors’ titles came to an end in 2021, the German team has struggled to keep up with Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have achieved six podium finishes together this season, a return that Norris believes is underappreciated.
“Just look at Mercedes, as far as I’m concerned they are the most consistent team of 2023 after Red Bull. It may not always look like it, but they have never been very slow,” he said.
‘During the season they are actually always faster than McLaren.
“That’s why Mercedes still remains the second team for me, but we are currently making steps that will bring us closer to them.
Norris called Mercedes the most consistent car this season, after Red Bull
“I don’t feel like we’re the second team yet, but I think we have what it takes to become that next year.”
The Formula 1 season moves across the Atlantic Ocean this weekend for the first of two races in the United States, the American Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix will make its debut on November 18, while the Mexican Grand Prix and the Brazilian Grand Prix will take place on October 29 and November 5.
The season finale takes place on November 26 in Abu Dhabi.