“Their Relationship Started to Change”: Lando Norris’ Dominance Over Daniel Ricciardo Reformed McLaren’s Team Dynamic

“Their Relationship Started to Change”: Lando Norris’ Dominance Over Daniel Ricciardo Reformed McLaren’s Team Dynamic

Throughout a polarizing stint alongside each other at McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris often kept their distance. However, after a series of ‘pep-talks‘ delivered by Andreas Seidl, the duo reportedly turned a new corner as the dynamic between them started to evolve.

The team’s ex-communications head, Charlotte Sefton revealed (in Norris’ biography authored by Ben Hunt) the impact Seidl’s pre-race sessions with the two had on their relationship. “Both of them started spending more time together in engineering meetings and worked really hard on it. They started to work together quite a lot and from then, their relationship started to change and they started to get on really well.”

According to Sefton, there was no animosity between the duo, despite what was being reported in the media. It was simply a matter of the two not being on the same wavelength and not hanging out with each other as much to build a rapport.

What really led to a stunted partnership for the duo was the expectations Ricciardo carried into the team. With Norris still a relative newcomer to the sport, he had to perform at his best to gain confidence while going up against a seven-time race winner.

Daniel Ricciardo made Lando Norris nervous with McLaren stint

With the imminent arrival of Ricciardo after Carlos Sainz’s departure to Ferrari, Sefton revealed that Norris got nervous. Being pitted against a 7-time Grand Prix winner in Ricciardo, the Briton felt unsure of his own abilities and credibility in the paddock.

Sefton was quoted by Ben Hunt as saying, “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 really good reputation.”

Eventually, Norris got over his cold feet. In the two years that he was Ricciardo’s teammate, he obliterated his rival. In 2022 alone, Norris won the qualifying head-to-head a whopping 20-2, whilst outscoring Ricciardo by an impressive margin of 82 points.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Daniel Ricciardo Lando Norris McLaren

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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