In the wake of Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri finishing behind race winner Max Verstappen at Suzuka, the Briton came on the team radio and said: “Double podium. We are coming for Red Bull.”
But while the Japanese GP was another encouraging weekend for the Woking-based squad in its push to get back to the front of F1, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is more cautious about expectations for the rest of the season.
While he is delighted with the progress that has been made through 2023, he thinks that Red Bull – especially with Max Verstappen at the wheel – are not yet within touching distance in pure pace terms.
When asked by Autosport about how far away he felt Red Bull was, Stella conceded: “Still a step too far. But in fairness, at the moment, it looks [as if] Max is one step too far.
“There's a variability of tracks left in the season, but none of these tracks has the Singapore characteristics.
“While there could be some tracks in which we could be competitive - I think Qatar should be a decent track for us - I'm afraid that the characteristics we like, they are also the characteristics where Red Bull will be just outstanding.
“So we'll have to be realistic that we'll need some situations to happen to be able to make the final step.”
Source: Autosport