After a long wait, we are finally into the first race week for a new season. F1 fans are buzzing with excitement. However, team McLaren probably isn’t as stoked as others. Their three days of testing in Bahrain did not go as per plans. Amidst it all was their young yet senior driver, Lando Norris. The Brit, often hailed as a driver as good as any on the grid, had a less than satisfactory 2022 season. Now the start to the fresh one doesn’t look promising either. Yet, it hasn’t affected his loyalty to the team as he believes he is in it for the long haul.

The three days of testing in Bahrain were a closely followed affair as teams were testing the waters with their new challengers. McLaren hit a roadblock on the very first day with some technical snags. Resultantly, they could only put in 92 laps. The lowest number for any team for the day. Despite the shaky start, Norris remained largely positive. Now that we are waiting for the actual action to begin this weekend, he has reiterated his faith in the team.

“I’m still here for a few more years. It’s because I want to be,” he said in a recent interview with Sky F1. “It wasn’t because I knew we were going to be winning championships or anything.”

“I knew that it’s a journey and we have to develop and improve on what we have to get to that point,” he added. “I’m the most patient guy but at the same time I’m happy with the work and the plans that the team are doing.”

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After Oscar Piastri’s arrival, Lando will assume the leadership role. As the Australian is looking to start his rookie season, he should be wary of the threat from his own teammate.

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The last two years may have seen the Woking-based team’s fate take a nosedive, but the silver lining for them was always Norris’ consistency. Despite being the younger counterpart, he beat Daniel Ricciardo on points in both seasons. One thing is for certain, he will not show any go any easy on Piastri either.

Austrian F1 expert Philipp Eng on Sport and Talk program said, “The mental pressure is enormous. Everyone talks about him. Now he has to show strength. Because now he’s dealing with Lando Norris at McLaren, that’s a safe value, the Englishman drives consistently at a high level. I see the situation like this–if Piastri can hold his own against Norris in the first year, then everyone will know what Oscar is made of.” [Translated using Google]

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It will be interesting to see what kind of bond the new teammates will share. They are both young and highly ambitious. But the real question remains, is the MCL60 good enough to challenge for the top spot?