Mid-season review: McLaren, promising results

For the past three years, McLaren has been constantly improving. Against all odds, the English team finished third in the Championship in 2020. After this fantastic season, McLaren is still looking to progress. Following Carlos Sainz’s departure to Ferrari, Lando Norris finds himself separated from his sidekick. The team has chosen Daniel Ricciardo. Like Alpine and Aston Martin, the pairing combines experience and youthful exuberance. In addition to bringing in a new driver, the team has been benefiting from the new Mercedes power unit and chassis improvements since the start of the season. These significant changes reflect the team’s realistic ambitions.

The disappointment Ricciardo

In two years at Renault, the Australian driver has never really managed to shine. Last year, the driver showed that he was still able to fight by finishing fifth. Ricciardo is currently participating in his tenth season in F1 and still dreams of becoming world champion. A dream that is becoming increasingly distant as the challenge is too high to compete with Red Bull and Mercedes. By deciding to join McLaren, Ricciardo was mainly looking for a better car and to showcase his talent against a dynamic teammate. But the driver is gradually losing his smile. His debut with his new team is disappointing and the expected results upon his arrival have not yet occurred.

With only 50 points after eleven races, Ricciardo is being largely outpaced by Norris and his 113 points. A striking contrast that shows the Australian’s difficulty in performing. He still doesn’t feel comfortable in his new car. Yet, it has everything to be competitive. Although he regularly finishes in the points, the driver must push himself further. Struggling during races, as seen in his Grand Prix in Monaco where he was lapped by his teammate, his best position is fifth place at Silverstone, behind his teammate. With so many years of experience, Ricciardo must show much more. There is still a part of the season to go and it would not be surprising to see him bounce back.

Norris, the young prodigy

Overshadowed by his former teammate last year, Lando Norris is having a dream season. While it was thought that Ricciardo, with his experience, would relegate Norris to a secondary role, the opposite is happening. With 113 points, the Briton is climbing to third place in the drivers’ standings, ahead of Valtteri Bottas. We are only halfway through the season, and Norris has already beaten his previous season record of 97 points. There is no doubt that the young driver will score many more points.

Beyond the points, Norris is impressing day by day. At 21, he proves that adversity does not scare him. Whether it’s during free practice, qualifying, or races, he excels in everything he undertakes. In eleven races, Norris has finished in the top 5 nine times. To top it off, three podium finishes. It’s no longer just an achievement, but talent. One question remains: when will his first F1 victory come?

The match of teammates

In this stable, youth dominates experience. Lando Norris leaves no doubt in him. Ricciardo, for his part, can only admire his teammate. After a promising start, the Australian collapsed. Since the beginning of the season, Norris has always managed to qualify in Q3, allowing him to get the better of Ricciardo (8-3). In terms of races, the result is the same (9-2). Although he retired in Hungary, caused by Bottas’s carnage in the first corner, Norris has never done worse than eighth place. It was in Spain and the Australian had finished ahead of him, one of the few times this season.

All hopes are placed on Lando Norris. Tied on points with Ferrari in the constructors’ standings (163 points), McLaren still needs to do better to hope to compete against the Italian team. Daniel Ricciardo’s disappointing results tarnish the team’s good season. It’s up to the Australian to exceed himself and show what he’s capable of. With a performing car and a team that trusts him, he has everything to succeed. In F1, anything is possible and everything happens so quickly.