Lando Norris believes that there is a ‘clear top two’ in terms of car performance heading into the 2024 season opener in Bahrain. The McLaren ace singled out Red Bull and Ferrari as the two standout teams on the grid, predicting that his own squad will mix it with Mercedes and Aston Martin during the first few rounds of the campaign.
McLaren were in a rough position 12 months ago when they arrived in Bahrain with the slowest car, but in 2024 they will be expecting to fight in the top half of the field when the lights go out on Saturday.
This, however, will still be frustrating for the 24-year-old Brit, who signed a new long-term contract extension in January off the back of a sensational end to 2023. Norris was on the podium seven times last season as McLaren established themselves as the most consistent challengers to Max Verstappen, but the papaya team may have taken a relative step back.
“We have a rough idea of where we are at but we don’t know where we stand,” Norris explained during Wednesday’s driver press conference when quizzed over the state of play at the top end of the grid.
“It’s clear there is a top two then a bunch behind with Mercedes, Aston Martin and us. We’re in a much better position than last year and that’s the most important thing.”
Should Norris’ predictions come true, there is more frustration on the horizon for Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion’s winless streak now dates back over two years with Mercedes failing to record a single Grand Prix victory during a testing 2023 campaign.
Hamilton was aware of the issues facing Mercedes when giving his own assessment, stating: “The atmosphere is good in the team. Everyone is really focused. It’s always an exciting time of the year when you see everyone come together and getting on with their job.
“There’s great motivation within the team and we have a better platform to work off from this year. We still have some problems that we are working through and it’s not perfect. But it’s definitely a better starting place compared to the last two years. We are relatively happy in that respect. We are not where we want to be but we will work towards it.”
