The previous two calendar years have been reasonably type to McLaren. The conclusion of the 2023 season noticed the group rocket up the System 1 Constructors’ Championship standings to complete fourth following a tough begin to the season. Final yr the group secured the Constructors’ Championship on the remaining race of the season, and this season not solely did McLaren wrap up the Constructors’ Championship with six races remaining, however drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the 2 principal contenders for the Drivers’ Championship.
But, the positioning of this week’s Grand Prix has been an disagreeable one for the group.
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The Las Vegas Grand Prix has proved difficult for McLaren, courting again to the inaugural race in 2023 when, throughout McLaren’s stand up the standings, Norris crashed throughout an early stint and Piastri completed tenth. Final yr the group arrived in Las Vegas with Norris hoping to catch Max Verstappen on the prime of the Drivers’ Championship standings, however the McLaren duo completed sixth and seventh, ending the British driver’s championship goals.
Regardless of Norris’ sturdy run of kind — the McLaren driver gained the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix after which took wins at each the F1 Dash Race in addition to the principle occasion the São Paulo Grand Prix — the McLaren driver conceded Wednesday night time that Sin Metropolis could be “trickier” than current races.
“So, from the final two years, it’s definitely been the toughest race of the yr that we’ve had,” started Norris within the FIA Press Convention Wednesday night time. “So my expectations are to not the identical stage as Mexico, Brazil, the place we’ve been performing very nicely for an excellent quantity of years.
“However we’ve had a superb yr and we’ve improved in locations that we’ve struggled previously. So I’m definitely coming in with extra confidence than in earlier years, however not the identical quantity of confidence as going into the previous few races that we’ve had. So that you by no means know. Expectations are nonetheless excessive. I’m nonetheless coming right here to win and to wish to repeat the previous couple of weekends that I’ve had. However I believe it’s going to be trickier for positive than the final couple.”
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Nevertheless, Norris did define that some classes from final yr’s race have given him extra confidence for this weekend.
“Alright. I imply, as a result of we have been so unhealthy, I simply ended up making an attempt as a lot stuff as I might,” mentioned Norris in response to a query from David Croft. “And it was extra simply – really, I’m not going to say. I’m combating for lots, so I wish to reveal the least quantity potential. However I believe we have been so unhealthy that you simply simply get to a degree the place you attempt so much. I imply, it’s in all probability not too tough for individuals to determine. However yeah, it’s an extended race, loads of laps, and we have been struggling persistently with the identical factor. So I used to be simply experimenting with so much – experimenting with my driving, with driving kinds, approaches to the automobile, which isn’t all the time straightforward, making an attempt to determine how the automobile likes to get pushed as a result of it modifications each weekend, and with the toys and issues like that. So it was extra… Yeah, it took us to the tip of the race, the ultimate stint, to essentially attempt to work out what was a bit higher. We discovered tempo.
“Like, even for those who have a look at the race hint now, you may fairly simply see the ultimate stint from me was much more in keeping with Ferrari, Crimson Bull, Mercedes.”
To that time, right here is the telemetry information from Norris’ race final yr, . Norris started the race on the medium tire, pitted on Lap 9 to change to the laborious tire, pitted once more on Lap 30 for an additional set of laborious tires, earlier than a late pit cease on Lap 48 for a set of softs to shut out the race:
On that first stint on the laborious tires, Norris was making his method across the Las Vegas Strip Circuit with laps within the 1:38 vary. Throughout that second laborious tire stint, his laps got here down into the 1:36 vary, with a number of laps within the 1:35s.
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“I believe Lewis [Hamilton’s] final stint final yr was fairly unbelievable. So we’re nonetheless fairly a good distance off what the Mercedes was, however we appeared extra raceable, let’s say. It was simply too little, too late. I believe we’ve realized from that,” added Norris.
Hamilton completed second in final yr’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, utilizing a two-stop technique the place he began on the medium tire earlier than operating two units of laborious tires, an identical technique to Norris however with out the ultimate stint on the comfortable tires.
Evaluating his telemetry information to what we see from Norris above, you may see how Hamilton was certainly faster on that first stint however Norris pulled stage with Hamilton’s “fairly unbelievable” final stint, even pumping in a number of laps that have been quicker:
For instance, on Lap 44 Hamilton got here in at 1:35.662 whereas Norris’ lap was a 1:35.527. Lap 42 was even higher for Norris, who clocked in at 1:35.601 in comparison with a 1:35.884 for Hamilton.
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It was not sufficient for Norris final yr.
However might the teachings from that remaining stint be sufficient this weekend?
“Doesn’t imply this yr’s going to be mega, nevertheless it’s definitely given us a path to go in,” concluded Norris.
