McLaren boss Zak Brown claims Daniel Ricciardo’s presence in the team led to Lando Norris getting more confidence in 2021.
McLaren, in 2021 hired Daniel Ricciardo, a veteran F1 driver was hired by the Surrey-based team to replace Carlos Sainz. On the other hand, Lando Norris, a relatively younger driver and only in the third year of his F1 career.
Thus, the power dynamics between the two drivers was massive. And McLaren boss Zak Brown thinks Ricciardo’s presence gave Norris a benchmark.
“We’ve always had, first and foremost, race-winning drivers and usually world champions,” he explained. “That was one of the appeals of getting Daniel in the car. Winning multiple Grand Prix gives you a bit of a benchmark and that demonstrates how good Lando is.
“That is not a surprise to us, but you want that validation. We now have two drivers capable of winning Grands Prix, one that has done it and one that will no doubt do it.”
“And I don’t think you have to have a world champion in the car. I think what you need to have are two drivers that you think are capable of being world champions and I am very confident we have that.”
Also read: Daniel Ricciardo admits to being oblivious towards certain aspects of his F1 car
Lando Norris aiming for success in F1
Norris in 2021 turned out to be the more crucial source of points for McLaren than Ricciardo. Thus, Norris got more recognition in F1, and more people started to see him as the potential future world champion.
Norris was also near to winning in Russia, but fate betrayed him in between. Otherwise, the 22-year-old had a very successful year. At some stage in the season, he was rubbing shoulders against Mercedes and Red Bull drivers.
With 2022 regulations coming in, McLaren aims for involvement in the championship. And then, maybe we see a more prominent Norris on the field.
Also read: Lando Norris backs Ferrari to consistently challenge for race wins in 2022
