Lando Norris has frankly admitted that he is “not performing at world champion level” so far in the 2024 F1 season.
This has been a big breakthrough season for McLaren, continuing their upward trend from last year and introducing their latest major upgrade package in May, which has allowed the team to start putting serious pressure on Max Verstappen and Red Bull with their 2024 car.
This gave Norris his first Grand Prix win in Miami, followed by team-mate Oscar Piastri in Hungary, and McLaren have since outperformed any other team on the grid.
However, while Red Bull was faltering, Norris and McLaren had several chances to capitalise on the reigning champion's ups and downs of form – but all failed.
In Spain, Norris started from pole position but had a mediocre start, allowing Verstappen to get ahead, while at Spa he made a mistake at the start at La Source, going off track and missing another chance to win.
Norris, in his trademark self-critical style, said the criticism he had received from fans and media about some of his mistakes was largely justified, and admitted he had not performed at the consistent level needed to challenge Verstappen for the world championship.
“After the first half of the season I just haven't been performing at world champion level, that's all,” Norris said ahead of this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.
“I've (performed) at certain times and competed in a lot of races, but there have been little things along the way that have let me down. That's something I can't have.”
“But I know that. I've shown in the past and in the last few races that I'm not satisfied if I'm not at the level I should be at. And that's because I'm passionate and I want to win.”
Lando Norris in the McLaren MCL38 puts his wheels on the gravel at the start
Photo credit: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“We try our best, we don't make mistakes, we try really hard to win. And when we don't do that, we're not happy as athletes. We're not satisfied with our job.”
“That's why I'm not happy with certain parts of this season and why I'm trying so hard to improve.”
After his Turn 1 mistake at Spa just before the summer break, Norris admitted he needed a “reset” to eliminate his “silly” mistake.
When asked about the conclusions he had drawn from that reflection period, he replied: “The truth is, it still is, I've just looked back and learned, but I'm fighting for the championship, so if I'm not performing at the level required to beat Max, to beat Red Bull and the other drivers that I have to beat, I won't be satisfied.”
“I'm still very happy with how this season has gone, but we made too many mistakes and lost too many points. That's not (what you need) to fight for the championship with a driver like Max. So there were a lot of things we had to look at and work on.”
“There's nothing I need to change, but to be honest I missed most of my chances at the start and on the first lap. After the first lap the race was generally very good and my race pace was good.”
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Those missed opportunities meant Norris ended the season 78 points behind Verstappen, who was more consistent in a Red Bull that was no longer always the quickest car.
But while Norris admitted his chances of battling the Dutchman in the drivers' standings were slim, he was far more optimistic that McLaren could close the 42-point gap to Red Bull and win their first constructors' title since 1998.
“For the team, of course (the title) is within reach, it's more obvious,” he said.
“Obviously it's still within reach as a driver, but the points are big and it's a race against Max. I would be optimistic and say there's still a chance.”
“I know it's going to be tough and a very difficult challenge, but with how we've performed and knowing that I can perform hopefully, I want to believe it's still possible.”
