Despite Lashing Out at McLaren for a Poor Show in Barcelona, Lando Norris Contradicts Himself With Tall Praise

Following a portion of the spectacular rise in 2020, McLaren is now on the decline. Furthermore, the Woking-based group seemed to be caught up in their own anguish after missing some of their development goals. The Papaya army has stayed out of the top 3 all year and has only truly gained points from favorable events elsewhere, notably in Melbourne. However, the MCL 60 felt strongest in Barcelona qualifying where Lando Norris eventually got P3 to begin his race on Sunday. But guess what happened? The British driver damaged the front wing on the opening lap when he got hit by 7-time champion Lewis Hamilton. This caused the British driver to shout out at the team. Nevertheless, it appears the outburst was fleeting as the 23-year-old has now contradicted himself.

Currently, McLaren is undergoing an overhaul. Rob Marshall, who currently works for Red Bull, will take over as technical director for the executive team after James Key left for Alfa Romeo (to be Audi in 2026). The technical upgrade we’re talking about is intended to improve the squad which in Lando Norris’ words, has been “slow all year.” In a conversation on The Race, Norris criticized the team by saying, “Yesterday the cars weren’t any different, right, and just yesterday was a special day.”

Adding further he said, “Apart from that, we’ve been off the pace all season, struggling to finish in the points in half the races. And today was just that again. There was the expectation that we would have had a very difficult day today.”

In a recent interview with Sky Sports F1, the 23-year-old sort of contradicted himself by praising the Woking-based team. Norris said, “From the side of the team and the new people, I’m very happy. There are some big names coming in which is always a great thing, a great addition.”

He added, “It’s a very good thing. Already factually there’s been some good improvements from the development rate and things like that, new ideas, new perspectives so already good progress has been made so I’m looking forward to this year, how we can go into the winter and be better prepared for 2024 and by then we’ll have the new wind tunnel and new simulator, and more people coming in 2024 beginning so then I look even more forward to 2025.”

READ MORE: After Failing to “Hold On for Dear Life” Lando Norris Employs Most Painful Career Experience to Deal With Setback

Given how Lando Norris,  demonstrated his faith in a team that has fared miserably this year, we only have sympathy for him. One would wonder how this young F1 star would handle the strain after having experienced so many “lows” this season. So for that let’s hear it for Norris himself.

How does Lando Norris tackle the difficult weekends?

So far in seven races, Norris is currently in eleventh place with only 12 points. It is not a pleasant sight for Formula 1 fans to see a driver of Norris’ talent struggling toward the rear of the grid.

Given that the current season of the squad is a particularly dramatic one, fans are constantly concerned about how their beloved driver tackles all these challenges. Norris disclosed it while speaking with Sky Sports. He said, “It depends a little bit on the reason for the result. If it’s definitely through my own doing, it takes a lot longer to get over it.”

Lando elaborated on how a crash or spin of his own doing hurts him a lot more, case in point the Spanish GP. While he cited how that is more concerning than even the car having pace issues & technical problems.

For this, the 2021 Russian GP is a classic example where Norris was in the lead until a late downpour. This caused him to delay pitting for intermediate tires, which demoted him to finish 7th, losing a maiden F1 win. Norris also cited how Sochi 2021 was probably one of the hardest things to get over.

WATCH THIS STORY: How Lando Norris Had a Chance to Go to Red Bull But Instead Chose McLaren

With the upcoming races do you think the McLaren can provide a competitive vehicle to its Norris?