Lando Norris confident McLaren can close gap on Red Bull after strong finish to season

Lando Norris is confident he and McLaren can close the gap to Red Bull next season after making huge strides as a team in the second half of this year.

The Brit racer, 24, concluded his 2023 campaign on Sunday with fifth place at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, meaning he finished sixth in the F1 driver standings.

Max Verstappen, with a third championship title already long secured, prevailed at Yas Marina Circuit to make it 19 wins from the calendar's 22 races – one of the many records he sealed this season. Red Bull, meanwhile, won every race bar Singapore.

However, McLaren and Norris were the next best performers from the July British Grand Prix onwards. A second place at Silverstone sparked a run of seven podiums for the driver, comprising six runner-up finishes and one third.

It meant McLaren came home fourth in the constructors’ championship, behind Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari.

Norris, still searching for a first race win in F1, is convinced his team can close the gap on Red Bull, who with 860 points were more than 550 better off, through 2024.

Speaking on Monday after shooting a promotional video at the DP World Golf Performance Centre at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, Norris was asked if he was bullish about McLaren's chances going into next season.

“Optimistic in winning I don’t think is very realistic, but optimistic in terms of progressing and taking a step towards Red Bull, we can definitely do that,” he said. “Because we’ve done it in the middle of the season when it’s harder than ever to do.

“You’re a lot more limited on wind-tunnel time and looking at the now and trying to think, ‘OK, what else we can do’. The winter is just reset; you take everything, you take it apart, you look at every