Outside of the Red Bull-Ferrari-Mercedes triumvirate, Lando Norris was the only driver to manage a podium finish in 2022, with his third place at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. When McLaren limped out of the starting blocks in 2023 with a car in dire need of an aerodynamic overhaul, Norris must have imagined that it would be hard to even match that minimal feat.
But, under new team principal Andrea Stella’s watchful eye, McLaren proved resurgent with its concerted efforts to turn its MCL60 around. Norris had already impressed by dragging the early-season specification to sixth in Melbourne but, when the car was drastically improved by Austria, he hit stratospheric heights with it. His battling with the Ferrari and Mercedes pairs to reach fourth place at the Red Bull Ring was only the beginning.
