by VALERIO BARRETTA
Norris towards Imola
The one most sought after by journalists’ questions in the Imola press conference is himself, Lando Norris. It couldn’t be otherwise, considering that the Briton broke the taboo two weeks ago in Miami by winning the first race of his career in Formula 1 after 110 attempts. And now, on a circuit where he has always done well (twice on the podium, in 2021 and 2022), Norris even wants to confirm himself.
Norris’s words
According to the Briton, the McLaren updates appreciated in Miami would work even better in Imola: “Obviously now it’s a new weekend and I have to be prepared and ready to go again, even if I still think a lot about Miami, where I was also lucky. I hope I can replicate that success, it was a fantastic weekend and I will remember it for the rest of my life. I think we are better suited to the Imola circuit, and in part the update is too“.
“Imola was one of the tracks that gave us the most satisfaction as a team and to me as a driver. We have certainly made a great step forward as a group, the team brings updates, but we shouldn’t bite off more than we can chew“, he continued talking about the Imola track, which could be excluded from the calendar in the future. “We love these circuits because they are more challenging for us drivers, but they are also the ones where it is most difficult to overtake and attack, as there are fewer escape routes. We need to find a compromise: there is such a long pit lane here that it takes away the strategy element from the races, because everyone has to stop, but history is part of this sport and we need to maintain tradition within this world. We love these circuits but we want to compete more, and that’s perhaps why some of these tracks are abandoned: The races aren’t good or exciting enough. But we need to continue coming here, perhaps doing jobs to be able to achieve that type of show“.
On McLaren’s competitiveness in the near future, Norris believes that despite the developments, Red Bull and Ferrari are still ahead: “We have to have faith in the team from here on out, but it’s clear that we won’t be there to win and fight for victory every weekend. We need something more if we want to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari more consistently. The team is doing a great job and we have made good progress, and we will have further improvements in the future that we will have to make the most of. Taking developments into account, for now we are the third force“.
