Norris aware of uphill battle McLaren face

Lando Norris has admitted it will not happen “overnight” at McLaren and acknowledged the team probably won’t be in contention for races next season.

Norris debuts for McLaren in 2019 alongside Carlos Sainz, replacing Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, neither of which are in motorsport’s premier division in 2019.

Norris is excited about what the future holds for his new team but was reluctant to get carried away.

“I’ve been in the factory and have met a lot of people, and I think the foundation is right now,” Norris told Auto Motor und Sport.

“We certainly will not win races next year.” Added the Brit.

The 19-year-old is replacing Vandoorne at the Woking-based team leading to inevitable hype around his ability, similar to the Belgian when he first signed.

Despite this Norris is staying grounded: “I just focus on myself.