Lando Norris wary of major ‘obstruction’ in Austria


Lando Norris wary of major ‘obstruction’ in Austria

The McLaren MCL36

Lando Norris has a reputation for excellence at the Red Bull Ring, where he placed third and fifth in the first two 2020 competitions before replicating the same set of outcomes the following year. The team’s 2022 car, the MCL36 has a reputation for being sluggish, which reduces its top speed. However, McLaren debuted a low-drag rear wing at the British GP that may also be helpful in Austria.

This weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix, Norris believes that the team will make some progress. “We still have a slight weakness, let’s say. And it’s not just the wing, there are various other things which count towards drag on the car. So it definitely helps. But you also have a lot of high-speed corners here,” said Norris.

“So similar to Silverstone, which obviously was a decent weekend for us in terms of pace, with no upgrades. And what we had in Silverstone was something very small. It wasn’t like something which really gained us more than probably a tenth, in a way. Hopefully the car can work in a similar way, that we’re decent in high-speed, we’re reasonable in the straights, and therefore we can just be that good middle ground, and the car just works well,” added the Briton.

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“We’re just almost there-ish on a lot of areas” : Lando Norris

Lando Norris
Lando Norris

The 22-year-old driver gave his insight on McLaren’s progress: “So not any strengths, I would say, compared to previous years, but we’re just almost there-ish on a lot of areas.” At Silverstone, McLaren’s technical director James Key disclosed that the team was experimenting with wings in an effort to boost straightline efficiency.

“I think last year straightline speed was an advantage for us. And we felt that probably we could have gone with a higher top end wing at times. I think this year we’re a little bit slower in a straightline than we’d like to be. Having said that, we’ve got enough of a range of rear wings to cure it now,” said Key.

Norris claims that his prior performances at the Red Bull Ring were affected by his knowledge with the circuit as well as the McLaren’s superior straight-line speed performance and high-speed twisting capabilities. “I think it’s a track I’ve driven on for many years. In F4 I came here a few times, Formula Renault then I had here, F3, F2. So it’s a track I just know well, as probably I guess do most other people,” concluded Norris.

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