Lando Norris is surprised by the fuss being made about the floor of the MCL35M and the might of the Mercedes power-unit, which the McLaren driver sampled for the first time during pre-season testing in Bahrain last weekend.
The Woking outfit have had three engine suppliers in five years. After the Honda disaster, they moved to Renault which upped the game ahead of the decision to return to their former partners Mercedes.
After driving the 2021 car for the first time, Norris was not overwhelmed by the new power-unit strapped to his back, or so he said, in what might just be another hand of poker being played in the wake of the shortest pre-season ever and a testing session that raised more questions than answers about what to expect at the 2021 F1 season opener in Bahrain next Sunday.
Whatever the case, expect a packed midfield with the orange cars at the sharp end if last year’s form carries over.
For now, Norris is playing down the impact of Merc-power bolted to the McLaren: “A lot of people expect a lot of differences but there isn’t that much.
“We had to use a lot of our tokens just to put the Mercedes engine in the back of the car so yeah, not ideal,” explained the 21-year-old in an interview with Sky F1.
As for the MCL35M’s floor, which had the pitlane buzzing in Sakhir, Norris added: “The guys and girls have been working really hard on making improvements elsewhere.
“The floor everyone’s been talking about, I didn’t even know it was that special. And everyone was going on about how, how special it was, and how innovative and different it is to the rest of the teams.
“Throughout the whole year, we’ll be continuing to push it and try and change it in and improve it. But at the same time, it’s fairly similar [to last year] which is a good thing.
“It’s just that that small step forward, which we’re hoping will make us a little bit more competitive, but I’m sure everyone else has taken a step forward too,” Norris pointed out.
McLaren have welcomed 31-year-old Daniel Ricciardo to the fold, who with his younger teammate can help form a potent pairing with the blend of youth and experience serving their team well.
Just because it’s #HappinessDay… Enjoy! ? pic.twitter.com/KlYYBJwHZT
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) March 20, 2021