Norris certified second and briefly led the British Grand Prix earlier than ending second behind Max Verstappen, whereas his team-mate Oscar Piastri began third and completed fourth after dropping out to Lewis Hamilton below the protection automobile.
Whereas acknowledging the Silverstone end result and the leap in efficiency because the first a part of the most recent improve bundle was launched in Austria, Norris insists that the staff isn’t getting carried away.
“I do not suppose anybody has a spring of their step in any respect,” he stated when requested by Autosport if he’d observed a change within the camp. “We additionally know it isn’t going to occur that usually in any respect.
“So we loved the second for positive. However we all know we’re not competing for wins and even podiums. We had been near that fairly often. It is lots of issues went proper for this [result] to occur. Despite the fact that we must always have had a P2 and a P3.
“I believe the boldness got here from figuring out that we took step in the appropriate path. I believe that is simply the place individuals acquire confidence, that we had been in a position to enhance the automobile in a few of these areas.
“However I do not suppose anybody’s received overconfident in any method. I hope not.
“I do really feel like we’re in a greater place now with our understandings, with the individuals now we have, our areas of focus,” he stated.
“The improve we dropped at Austria is the most important improve as a staff McLaren has introduced within the final 5 years.
“When it comes to having a automobile, looking for enhancements with it over the 12 months, it is the most important enchancment we have ever had in my expertise of being with McLaren. That is a truth.
“And even previous to that, till they most likely had the B-car in 2012 or one thing, after they had another points and issues like that.
“So it is the primary time we have been in a position to actually deliver an improve that is genuinely taken us an enormous step ahead. So I’ve extra hope than I’ve had over the previous couple of years.”
Regardless of McLaren’s latest upgrades delivering a major step in efficiency, Norris admits the automobile is “nonetheless simply as tough to drive” because it has been all 12 months.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60
Photograph by: Jake Grant / Motorsport Images
“For me on the minute – even with this improve we have had, the efficiency – driving the automobile the dealing with has not gotten any higher,” he famous.
“It nonetheless is simply as tough to drive, as tough to execute qualifying laps with, in essence barely simpler as a result of for a given mistake, we’re truly nonetheless greater up there, particularly over the previous couple of weekends.
“And virtually within the highest pace corners it is more durable to make a mistake as a result of the automobile’s performing higher.
“For me and the place we have been over the past 5 years we have made the automobile faster clearly, I do not wish to get too forward of ourselves, we have solely had two weekends the place we have been fast.
“However now we have but over the past 5 years made that step enchancment in sluggish pace dealing with and drivability, disregarding load and absolute grip, let’s say.
“So for me, an even bigger step could be enhancing how we drive the automobile, how straightforward it’s to drive the automobile, fairly than simply including 10 extra factors of load in sluggish pace, as a result of that is solely going to get us to this point up the order.”