Season snapshot · 2023
Source: Jolpica F1 API- WDC finish
- P6
- Wins
- 0
- Podiums
- 7
- Points
- 205
- DNFs
- 1
- Constructor
- McLaren Racing
Race-by-race
| Race | Grid | Finish | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bahrain | P11 | P17 | 0 |
| Saudi Arabian | P19 | P17 | 0 |
| Australian | P13 | P6 | 8 |
| Azerbaijan | P7 | P9 | 2 |
| Miami | P16 | P17 | 0 |
| Monaco | P10 | P9 | 2 |
| Spanish | P3 | P17 | 0 |
| Canadian | P7 | P13 | 0 |
| Austrian | P4 | P4 | 12 |
| British | P2 | P2 | 18 |
| Hungarian | P3 | P2 | 18 |
| Belgian | P7 | P7 | 6 |
| Dutch | P2 | P7 | 6 |
| Italian | P9 | P8 | 4 |
| Singapore | P4 | P2 | 18 |
| Japanese | P3 | P2 | 18 |
| Qatar | P10 | P3 | 15 |
| United States | P2 | P2 | 18 |
| Mexican | P17 | P5 | 10 |
| São Paulo | P6 | P2 | 19 |
| Las Vegas | P15 | Accident | 0 |
| Abu Dhabi | P5 | P5 | 10 |
Lando Norris's 2023 Formula 1 season was a clear demonstration of driver resilience and strategic team development, marked by a dramatic mid-season performance inflection point for McLaren. Despite the overarching dominance of Red Bull in the ground-effect era, Norris navigated a campaign that began with significant challenges and concluded with a strong points haul.
Going in
McLaren entered the 2023 season with the MCL60, a car that initially struggled to adapt to the prevailing tunnel-floor ground-effect regulations. The early races saw Norris, a driver who debuted in 2019, battling far outside the points. This period was a stark contrast to the competitive outings seen from drivers like Carlos Sainz — 2022 season in more consistent machinery. Expectations were tempered by the car's initial pace, which placed McLaren well down the pecking order, a situation that tested both the team's development capabilities and Norris's renowned consistency.
How it played out
The initial phase of the season was particularly challenging. Norris recorded consecutive 17th-place finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, followed by another 17th in Miami. Even a strong qualifying effort at the Spanish Grand Prix, starting from 3rd, yielded only a 17th-place finish due to race pace limitations. McLaren’s fortunes began to shift around the Austrian Grand Prix, where significant aerodynamic upgrades were introduced. Norris immediately capitalized, securing a 4th-place finish. This was swiftly followed by his first podium of the year, a 2nd-place at his home British Grand Prix, and another 2nd at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
This mid-season transformation was critical. From round 9 onwards, Norris consistently featured at the sharp end of the grid. He secured a total of 7 podiums throughout the season, including a strategic 2nd at the Singapore Grand Prix and another 2nd at the United States Grand Prix. He finished the season with 205 points, placing him 6th in the World Drivers' Championship. This performance significantly outpaced his rookie teammate, Oscar Piastri, demonstrating Norris's ability to extract maximum performance from the improving package. For context, his former teammate Carlos Sainz — 2023 season also navigated a season with varying car performance, highlighting the competitive landscape.