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via Imago

via Imago

We are all aware of the poor state of the McLaren MCL60. The team failed to get both their cars over the finish line in the season opener in Bahrain. There was hope for improvement after a fortnight until the Saudi Arabian GP. However, as things stand, McLaren is still deep underwater with no sight of the surface. From going to fighting the midfield battle to not being in contention, there is no hope for McLaren at the moment. Lando Norris believes the team is towards the bottom with a surprise team leapfrogging them.

The team, according to Norris’s comments as quoted by Motorsport-total, is Williams. Williams has been the bottom team on the grid for quite a few seasons. McLaren would’ve never imagined themselves struggling to catch up to Williams. In fact, the team was fighting Alpine in the midfield battle just last year. However, in the current campaign, Norris believes the Wantage-based outfit team is above his team currently.

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“If I had made a small mistake, I would have been last. It’s tight in midfield,” says Norris. “We just have to get everything together now. That’s the last hurdle,” he says. “I can do it here and there but getting the lap together is the last bit of consistency I’m lacking at the moment. I’ll work on that for tomorrow and we’ll see.”

Norris then made an honest assessment of the team’s standing on the grid. “Alpine is ahead of the entire midfield,” Norris believes, “and Williams also seems to be significantly faster than us.”

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

Norris kept no surprise at his cluelessness of McLaren’s state heading into the current campaign. However, the reality is harder than he could’ve ever imagined.

In these trying times, the team needs all the support they can get. This is exactly what Norris appreciated in a McLaren post on social media.

Lando Norris thanks the fans for their continued support despite the horrid state of McLaren

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McLaren is in a very complicated situation. However, the team will not stay there forever, and they are trying everything to improve. The fans understand that and have kept their faith in the team, so far. This is exactly what Norris appreciated in a video posted on McLaren’s social media.

via Reuters

“I guess this little message is to all you fans and supporters to continue to say thanks for supporting us. No matter where we are this weekend, we’re doing our best for you,” he said. “We’re working very, very hard both here, back at the MTC [McLaren Technology Centre], to make improvements and get moving forward.”

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The fans are behind the team, but for how long? McLaren needs to keep the faith in their fans by fetching positive results on the track. For the team’s sake, let’s hope that happens soon before the fans start turning their back on the team.