Lando Norris believes McLaren can overtake Ferrari in this year’s Championship, despite the points gap between the two teams.
There are many battles in the F1 constructors’ standings that could be unresolved until the end of 2023. The battle for 7th, for example, sees the likes of Williams and Alfa Romeo within a few points of each other. Upgrades for Haas in COTA, alongside a more competitive AlphaTauri, could see this battle continue raging. However, the top 5 positions are also heavily contested.
During the summer break, many F1 circles discussed McLaren’s chances of overtaking Aston Martin in the standings. At one stage, it seemed near-impossible for McLaren to close this gap. The mere 11 points currently separating these teams suggests that Andrea Stella’s team will inevitably climb into 4th place.
Mercedes and Ferrari are also in a hotly contested battle to finish 2023 in P2 behind Red Bull. With that said, recent events indicate that McLaren could throw a spanner in the works.
Norris shows confidence
Fresh off another podium finish in Qatar, Lando Norris explained that McLaren is capable of overtaking Ferrari in the Championship:
“It’s doable. I think so. A couple of races ago it was, 70-something [points] to Aston. I don’t know what it is now? Seventeen? I mean, Fernando said we were overconfident as well!
“I think we’re just doing a good job, not just in terms of pace but today we had a 1.8 second pit stop, which is pretty impressive from the guys. They’ve been working extremely hard so to reward the whole team consistently is only more motivating and a bigger boost every weekend. They like the taste of success…
“But like I was comparing to Ferrari, it was only three weekends ago that Ferrari were Pole and almost winning races. And nothing has really changed, it’s just a different track.
“We’re looking better, they’re looking a bit worse. I think we’re definitely not overconfident. We’re confident, I think we need to be, but we know there’s still going to be some races where we’re not going to be quite as strong.”
P3 on the cards for McLaren
For McLaren to overturn the deficit to Ferrari, they will need to outscore the Italian outfit by 80 points. At face value, this might seem beyond reach for the Woking-based team.
A closer analysis says otherwise. Across the last five rounds of 2023, McLaren can secure an unlikely 3rd place by outscoring Ferrari at a rate of 16 points every weekend. To achieve this, Norris and Piastri will need to secure top-5 finishes without fault – until the chequered flag falls in Abu Dhabi.
Considering the MCL60’s current performance, this is not an unrealistic target. McLaren has two drivers who can optimise their package, as evidenced by their consistent podium finishes in recent events.
Additionally, the two remaining Sprint weekends in 2023 mean there are extra points on the table. To be clear, it will be a tall order for Andrea Stella’s team to overturn the gap.
Ferrari’s speed in Monza and Singapore is evidence that the SF-23 is capable of strong results. Any retirements or non-point finishes will be detrimental to the ambitious target set by Lando Norris.
Still, for a team capable of taking 30+ points per weekend, it would be unwise to dismiss McLaren’s chances of climbing the order.
