Dramatic Lando Norris change explained as McLaren secrets spilled by F1 chief

The 2023 campaign was a true season of two halves for Lando Norris and his McLaren team, saddled with a very slow MCL60 car in the beginning before making enormous strides

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has picked out the major mid-season move which thrust Lando Norris into regular podium contention.

The Brit started 2023 nowhere near that particular fight. The team missed development targets on its MCL60 and had one of the slowest cars on the grid in the opening rounds of the season.

But their fortunes changed from the moment the first significant upgrade was put on track in Austria. The changes made to Norris’ car that weekend propelled him up the timesheets and, when team-mate Oscar Piastri was given the same boost a week later, he too was suddenly scoring points for fun.

Stella has been reflecting on his first season in charge of the Woking-based squad. And he feels the early changes he made to the organisation of the aerodynamics department were critical in setting up the team for its dramatic upturn in form.

The technical restructuring was a fundamental enabler,” the Italian told Motorsport.com, explaining that there is still more to come in that regard. “The restructuring itself includes people that actually haven’t started yet.

“If we talk about the new technical configuration, which includes three technical directors, two of them haven’t started yet. It was Peter Prodromou in charge of aero, David Sanchez in charge of performance and concepts, Rob Marshall in charge of engineering and design

Effectively, this structure has given clarity on the responsibilities and has allowed also – and it was essential in the short term – to restructure the aerodynamic department, putting Peter Prodromou in charge, supporting Giuseppe Pesce, these guys have been absolutely instrumental in setting the new direction for the design of the car from an aerodynamic point of view.”

While the effect of Prodromou’s work has proactively been felt, the other two specialized bosses referenced by Stella are still on planting leave. Ex-Red Bull architect Marshall and Sanchez, previous Ferrari boss specialist, begin at McLaren in January.

So the upgrades made for the current year are exclusively because of the work put in by those all around working for the group, to whom Stella offered recognition. He added: “This has been the empowering influence to utilize the ability that was at that point accessible at McLaren, on the grounds that individuals that truly plan the calculations are similar individuals.

“Yet, releasing their ability by provide clear guidance, clarifying targets, and furthermore attempting to ensure that strengthening and energy are the underpinning of how we manage individuals. This has been instrumental. What’s more, that is likewise the way in which we are attempting to get into what’s to come.”