MELBOURNE: Lando Norris says his confidence was sky high after McLaren’s first constructors’ title in 26 years last season, with the team hungrier than ever to add the drivers’ championship to their trophy cabinet.

The Briton came tantalizingly close to dethroning Red Bull’s Max Verstappen as world champion in 2024 and is widely expected to be battling at the front of the grid again this year. “It’s motivated everyone even more from a team perspective,” he said of the constructors’ crown. “The team got their first chance in 26 years to experience what it’s like to win a championship and I think it’s made them hungrier now that they know what it’s like.

“I think it’s good to acknowledge as a whole team that there will be more expectation now, more eyes, more pressure, more competitors trying to bring you down.” McLaren were among the quickest at pre-season testing in Bahrain, with Norris and his Oscar Piastri looking to lay down a marker at the season-opening race in Melbourne this week.

Norris said he was excited by what lay ahead after showing last year that he could thrive under the weight of expectation and in high-pressure situations. “I’m excited about the season, but very calm,” he said on the McLaren website.

“I feel relaxed. From a personal side, I don’t feel any more pressure. I’m always nervous and will always be, but that turns into excitement. “One (thing I’ve learnt) is that I can do it, and I’ve got what it takes,” he added.

McLaren started last season slowly before an upgrade at the sixth round in Miami radically improved their fortunes and allowed Norris to take his first win. But that still left him 53 points behind Verstappen.

Norris attempted to claw back the deficit as Red Bull’s supremacy was eroded, but his title bid ran out of steam. “This is the most confident I’ve been in the team and probably the most confident I have been in myself,” he said. “It’s honestly not a big change, it’s quite small, but I feel more prepared and a more complete driver than I’ve ever been. “Achieving what we did last year makes you believe you can do it again. That belief is what gives you the most confidence.”

Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri said Thursday it was a “no-brainer” to commit his long-term future to McLaren while playing down expectations of victory at his home Grand Prix in Australia this week. The 23-year-old, who was already under contract until 2026, signed a multi-year extension with the British team ahead of the season-opening race in Melbourne.

“It felt like just a very natural progression to sign for even longer term,” Piastri said. “Obviously last year was an incredible year for the team. I think my two years for the team has been pretty incredible, starting from where we were when I joined to being constructors’ champions.”

His teammate Lando Norris has also been tied down long-term, as have McLaren principal Andrea Stella and chief executive Zak Brown. “So for me, it seems like a no-brainer, and I think it was reciprocated from the team as well,” said the Australian.

Piastri finished fourth overall after wins in Hungary and Azerbaijan last season, and is set to battle with Norris for the title this year with McLaren widely considered the car to beat. The pair combined last year to secure McLaren their first constructors’ crown since 1998. But Piastri played down his chances of getting off to a flying start by winning in Melbourne. “I know what you want me to say, and everyone’s headline could be that, but we’ll see,” he said. “No one really knows what to expect. Testing went pretty well but you don’t know where everybody sits.” — AFP