Lando Norris thinks winning the Formula 1 title in 2024 would “mean more” to McLaren than rivals such as Ferrari due to the previous struggles the team has endured.
McLaren goes into this weekend’s showdown at the Abu Dhabi with a 21-point lead over Ferrari as it strives to secure its first Constructors’ Championship since 1998.
The Woking-based squad has headed the standings since usurping Red Bull in Baku in September, but Ferrari’s resurgence has taken the battle down to the last event.
But while the team hasn’t encountered this situation since 2005, Norris has stressed that McLaren has no need to alter the approach that has placed it in this position.
“There’s a lot of external pressure, but I think within the team not a lot changes,” Norris told media including Motorsport Week.
“There’s been pressure the whole season to perform and to do well.
“There’s been pressure the whole season for me as a driver to perform well, especially the second half of the year.
“I feel like I’ve been doing that, but it’s more external pressure that I think people have to deal with. That’s engineers, mechanics and things like that.
“I’m sure everyone within the team feels a little bit more nervous coming into the final race, but at the same time nothing should change, nothing needs to change.
“The job we’ve been doing is very good. I’m proud of the whole team and we just continue doing the same as what we have been doing.”
Norris holds McLaren title in higher regard
McLaren has been on the ascent since mid-season updates last season inspired a turnaround which saw it propel from struggling to score points to earning podiums.
Norris, who has been with the team since debuting in 2019, reckons the hardship that McLaren has experienced would ensure a possible title triumph is even sweeter.
“The teams we’re racing against, whether its Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, none of them have been through the pain that we have in the last six years,” he told Sky F1.
“So I think it will mean more to us than anyone else.
“It always means something; it always means a lot to everyone, that’s obvious.
“But we’ve had to come from a lot lower down than where they have, which is our own fault, it’s our own doing, we’ve not been good enough back then.
“But it makes the story cooler than being the whole time at the front and then eventually winning it.”
McLaren expecting close Abu Dhabi battle
Norris squandered a golden chance to strengthen McLaren’s grasp on the crown last weekend in Qatar as speeding under yellow flags cost him a second place finish.
The Briton has conceded that he is not anticipating McLaren’s MCL38 car to be as competitive at the Yas Marina Circuit as it was around the high-speed Lusail venue.
“It’s not been our best track in the past,” he acknowledged. “Qatar was a great opportunity for us, but obviously that didn’t go to plan.
“I think it will be a tight fight between all four teams this weekend. I don’t expect any one of us to be much further ahead.
“I think last weekend it was clear in the race that between Max and myself we were the quickest by quite a margin.
“But you look at the day before, a day separating things, and George easily looked the quickest in the Mercedes.
“You have those two things and on Friday initially the Ferraris looked the best.
“We have four teams that can win it, we’re confident we can do a good job and execute things well, but I have no idea if we’ll be at the front of those four or at the back of the four.”
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