McLaren certain Norris is “ready” to claim first F1 win in 2024

Despite being one of F1’s top performers since the start of 2021, a first victory has eluded Norris.

Norris famously went close at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, but failure to stop at the right time for intermediates handed the victory to Lewis Hamilton.

Since then, McLaren’s competitiveness - combined with Max Verstappen’s utter dominance - has meant that winning a grand prix hasn’t been a realistic goal.

With McLaren expected to reduce the deficit to Red Bull over the winter, it could be Norris’ time to finally win a race.

If McLaren deliver a competitive car, Stella is sure Norris will capitalise on it.

“If we take a look at the numbers from Austria on, Lando is the second highest scorer behind Max [Verstappen]. This reflects the quality of the driving, the delivery he is capable of, which puts him at the top of the grid.” he said.

“The first victory is always the most important, then things come slightly easier. The main reason this has not been possible is because we have not put Lando in the position to consistently compete for a victory. He is ready for that, it’s more about us being ready in delivering the car that allows him to take the opportunities.”

While McLaren did gain significant performance during the middle of 2023, Stella believes there’s still room for the team to improve.

“When we look at the car, the suspension, tyres, aerodynamics, they all have a lot to offer in this generation of regulation so we are looking to cash-in these performance opportunities,” he added.