Baku upgrade gives McLaren “what we should have started the year with” - Norris

The British squad have endured a disappointing start to the season and had to wait until the third round in Australia to register their first points of 2023, a result that has lifted McLaren into fifth place in the constructors’ championship. 

McLaren admitted they were “not entirely happy” with the launch-spec version of their MCL60 after missing key development targets over the winter, but are hopeful that long-awaited updates can help turnaround their season. 

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” Norris said of the upgrades McLaren have brought to Baku. “Australia was definitely a better weekend for us. Things definitely went our way a little bit more.

“I think we were unlucky, which made things look worse than they were in the first two races. 

“We do have the upgrade. I think that was made clear and obvious very early on in the season. But what we have now, it’s what we should have started the year with.”

However, Norris cautioned that the impact of the upgrades could be smaller due to other teams bringing their own developments to Baku. 

“A lot of other teams also have upgrades, so our job is to try and bring slightly bigger things and try to play a little bit of catch-up,” he explained.

“I think what we have this weekend is just the baseline we should have started the year with and it’s about understanding what we have now. It’s a better baseline, it’s more room for opportunities and more room for improvements with what we have.

“It’s definitely going to make us take a small step forward, but to all the people who also bring upgrades, it’s going to be smaller. 

“I’m excited, the team did a very good job to bring these things through and to get them ready, but it’s about maximising what we have now.”