After realising too late it was pursuing a concept that would lead to a less efficient car design, the MCL60's draggy launch spec hamstrung the Woking team both in lap time and in its ability to overtake other cars.
In the meantime, it prepared a tweaked floor approach that saw the light of day at last weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Behind the scenes new team boss Andrea Stella received a mandate to review the technical structure, with technical director James Key leaving the Woking squad and his remit split into three separate posts amid a hiring spree.
While the reorganisation came too late to influence McLaren's Baku updates, the belief is that it will speed up the next round of upgrades, which will amount to a "kind of B-spec" before the summer, as Stella called it.
In Baku McLaren already showed some minor improvement, with Norris collecting two points in ninth and rookie team-mate Oscar Piastri finishing just outside the points in 11th.
While still far removed from its goals, the update and the restructure have given Norris, who is contracted to McLaren until the end of 2025, more confidence that the team is on the right path.
"Definitely the guys and everyone back in the factory seem happier, like more optimistic," Norris said. "I have even more faith in terms of the new structure and some of the new people we have and things like that.
"Everyone's a bit more free and willing to try new things and make bigger steps."
Source: Autosport