“Daniel Cannot Fill That”: Lando Norris Predicted Ricciardo’s Doom Even Before the Start of Infamous McLaren Stint

Sabyasachi Biswas | 30/12/2023
“Daniel Cannot Fill That”: Lando Norris Predicted Ricciardo’s Doom Even Before the Start of Infamous McLaren Stint

Daniel Ricciardo’s time at McLaren was one to forget as the Australian driver had a horrendous stint with the British team. Despite coming into the team as the perceived star, Ricciardo massively fell short of what was expected of him. Interestingly, Lando Norris predicted that Ricciardo would face such a fate way before the 34-year-old even arrived in McLaren. The Briton said that he would be the one who would take charge of the team.

On this, Ben Hunt in his Lando Norris: A Biography book quoted Norris, “There has been a lot more emphasis on doing everything I can do for the best in myself and the best for the team…There is now a sense I can lead things in the team. There is a bigger role I have to take on because of my experience with this team and Daniel cannot fill that.”

Ricciardo indeed had a disastrous spell at McLaren as he even came close to calling time on his career. The Australian not only underperformed Norris in their first season as teammates but performed much worse in his second year as well.

In 2021, Ricciardo claimed 115 points and finished P8, whereas Norris finished P9 with 160 points. Meanwhile, in 2022, Ricciardo finished all the way down in P11 with just 37 points, whereas Norris finished P7 with 122 points.

Since Ricciardo underperformed in comparison to Norris by a huge margin, McLaren had no choice but to part ways with him at the end of the 2022 season. The team from Woking then signed Oscar Piastri after a huge contractual controversy involving Alpine. With Piastri joining McLaren only as a rookie, Norris became the new team leader this year.

Lando Norris felt threatened before Daniel Ricciardo arrived at McLaren

As Carlos Sainz signed for Ferrari in 2021, Zak Brown and his team decided to bring in Daniel Ricciardo to replace the outgoing Spanish driver. This brought nervousness in Lando Norris as he was about to be on the same team as a seven-time GP winner.

Ricciardo’s arrival in the team was a piece of huge news for McLaren as they were bringing in a former Red Bull driver who had locked horns with the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen in the past. Moreover, the Australian was also the leading driver during his time at Renault [now Alpine.]

Speaking on this, Sefton, a former McLaren employee, said as per the Norris biography, “When Carlos left I think Lando got a bit nervous again because he was a bit like, ‘well this guy’s obviously won seven races. He’s like a known quantity and he’s got a really good reputation.”

Nevertheless, Norris was able to gain confidence in the end with the help of his team who have showcased complete faith in him. The Briton now seems himself as a driver who can not only lead McLaren but also fight for wins and the championship himself.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Daniel Ricciardo Lando Norris Oscar Piastri

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Sabyasachi Biswas

Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 journalist at The SportsRush. With over one and a half decades of love for the sport and five years of experience in the field, he dreams to be a regular at the paddock when the lights go out. A Red Bull fan and F1 fan in general over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen dominate the track. Apart from F1, he's also a big-time Madridista and Federer fanatic. He was a sub-junior level footballer, won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak throughout, he tries different cuisines and learns new cultures whenever he's away from the keyboard.

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