“The perfect way to end a season,” Lando Norris pleased with a P6 finish in Abu Dhabi in a ‘tough race’
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Lando Norris
McLaren finished fifth in the Constructor’s standings in 2022, one down from 2021, which itself was one down from their P3 finish in 2020. It would be fair to say that they seem to be taking a step backwards, and are not where they want to be. McLaren is an iconic name in Formula 1 history, but the past decade or so hasn’t been particularly fruitful for them, but Lando Norris has been a shining light.
The package in 2022 just wasn’t good enough, but Lando Norris still made it click He scored 122 (~76.7%) of the team’s total 159 points this year. He is the only driver not from the top three to score a podium this year, which he achieved in Imola – undoubtedly the highlight of his season.
While McLaren haven’t been all that great, Norris can be proud of what he’s done in 2022, and it is due in part to him that the team even finished so close to Alpine, who had a much better car at the start of the year. He finished the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi P6, and as the ‘best of the rest’ driver in the standings, 30 points clear of next-placed Esteban Ocon.
Speaking after the race, the Briton expressed his happiness at the result, calling it the ‘perfect way to end a season’: “P6 and a fastest lap, the perfect way to end a season. It was a tough race, I wasn’t far away from getting overtaken at the end, but we timed it well.” as per Bristol Post.
Lando Norris praises McLaren for doing a ‘great job’
Lando Norris and McLaren were aware that they are going to ‘struggle’ more with degradation in Abu Dhabi: “We’ve always struggled a bit more with degradation, especially on a circuit which is front-limited, comparing to other teams, so we knew this was going to be a tough one. I tried to build a good gap, knowing this was going to be the case and we ended with a P6 and a P9 for Daniel [Ricciardo].”
He concluded by praising the team for doing a ‘great job’: “A good double-points finish and a perfect way to end the season, motivate the team and end with some good points. I’m very happy, the team did a great job.”
Norris’s McLaren contract runs until the end of 2025. Red Bull have shown interest in him, with Christian Horner revealing that they had discussions. If McLaren fail to provide him with a good enough package, it is likely that he may seek other avenues, such as the aforementioned Red Bull, or Mercedes, where he could replace Lewis Hamilton.
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Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)