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“On Their Back Foot”: Lando Norris & McLaren Walk On Thin Ice as Dwindling F1 Performance Turns Worse

Published 02/28/2023, 8:00 AM EST

Over the past few years, team McLaren and Lando Norris have made steady progress after finding themselves stuck in a rough patch when they signed the deal with Honda in 2015. The progress reached a climax in 2020 when they finished third in the constructors’ championship, and things looked promising. But after slipping a position each year since then, things aren’t looking great yet again for them.

McLaren’s woes have been increasing tremendously as the pressure keeps piling on them. The team encountered similar braking issues during preseason testing in Bahrain as it did during testing last season, indicating that bad times are ahead for the fans. Additionally, Lando Norris was reported to have smashed the wall, leaving a dent in it, highlighting the frustration and lack of patience inside the Briton.

The comments of veteran sports commentator Martin Brundle back up these claims. In a video, Brundle commented on the situation at McLaren, saying, “They’re struggling. I’ve been talking to people at the team. They didn’t get a car where they thought it should be, looked a bit of a handful to drive. It’ll be very difficult for Lando to keep his chin up if he has another difficult season. They think they know what the problem is. So, their first update will be very very telling as to how their season is going to be. McLaren are definitely struggling and on their back foot.”

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The team has less time to mend its ways as the opposition seems to be gearing up against them. A poor performance will also mean the team will have a hard time retaining its young and talented drivers.

Lando Norris expresses satisfaction with the team

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Fans have noticed the dire state of the McLaren, as has everyone else. But to everyone’s surprise, Lando Norris has backed the team and expressed his contentment with the project so far.

As quoted by RaceFans, the Briton said, “It’s a huge amount better than this time last year…There’s been a couple of little setbacks here and there, but for the most part, the team has done a better job. We’re definitely in a better place.”

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The statement in itself is contradictory to everything that the drivers have hinted at thus far. Nevertheless, if the team is in as good a position as it claims to be, a step upward on the constructors’ table might be a possibility too.

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Written by:

Manan Goel is a Formula 1 author at EssentiallySports. As a literature student at Delhi University, he had been a geek for fiction and a nerd for sports. He claims Sebastian Vettel was his first love after seeing him at the Indian Grand Prix, and he has been a fan of the sport and Red Bull ever since.

Edited by:

Akash Pandhare

“On Their Back Foot”: Lando Norris & McLaren Walk On Thin Ice as Dwindling F1 Performance Turns Worse

Lando Norris expresses satisfaction with the team

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