“I don’t have the feeling I’ve already had a true second year”- Lando Norris on added McLaren responsibilities

“I don’t have the feeling I’ve already had a true second year”- Lando Norris on stepping into the third year of his career in Formula 1.

Lando Norris in 2020 was the youngest driver on the paddock, but he is set to enter in the third successive season in Formula 1, and to talk about it, he explained how his journey had been so far.

“During the past season, my focus was not always on racing, at least not like in 2019,” said Norris, quoted by RacingNews365. “I was also busy with my engineers, taking in things around me more.”

“Like the work during the debriefs, the tuning of the car and things like that, because I think in Formula 1 it’s not only important to improve as a driver but also to learn things that will eventually make you more consistent.”

“That’s something I certainly improved in 2020. My input with the engineers was also more reliable. I dared to speak out a bit more and not go with the flow as much.”

“Carlos [Sainz] had led the debriefs much more in 2019 because he had more experience. Last year, I was more confident about my performance on the track and therefore dared to speak out more during the meetings with the engineers.”

“Looking back on the season, I was quite satisfied with my progress, especially my development outside the track. Of course, there are still areas for improvement, but all in all, I was satisfied with my progress in 2020.”

Can’t believe looking at the journey length

Norris is the most experienced driver with McLaren, despite the fact he is going to partner with Daniel Ricciardo, who has ten years of more experience than him.

At such stage, McLaren expects Norris to be more productive, and bring in consistent results to maintain the team’s upward trajectory in the title race.

“It’s strange to think I’ll already be starting my third year in Formula 1 this year. I don’t have the feeling I’ve already had a true second year,” mused Norris. But when I look back on 2020, I think I made great progress, especially in the off-season.”

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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