“Ferrari Is One of the Top Three Teams”: Lando Norris Felt Envy Towards Carlos Sainz’s Move to Ferrari

Ever since his debut in F1, Lando Norris has shared cordial relationships with all the teammates he’s had. However, the bond he shares with Carlos Sainz, to this day, is a special one. Despite that, there came a time when jealousy took over the Briton over Sainz’s move to Ferrari.

In Norris’ biography, Ben Hun wrote, “I was able to ask Norris about Sainz’s move to Ferrari, which had been confirmed by the Italian team. The two had obviously become close, and while he was sad to see him go, he was more jealous about the fact Sainz would be in position to fight for wins in a competitive car.”

In his own words, Norris said, “Ferrari is one of the top three teams at the moment.” The McLaren ace also admitted that any driver who got the chance to drive for them had done a “fricking good job” to reach there. Sainz, according to him, had certainly done his part to get the call from Maranello.

Norris was happy to be with McLaren and believed they could improve. Nonetheless, he was still jealous of his good mate, who went to a team that was capable of winning races.

Carlando hug in singaporepic.twitter.com/rzo8SrpoYf https://t.co/dUy4cO6hso

— Ale(TV)˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ (@alee1655) December 5, 2023

Norris’ assessment has certainly come true. Sainz, ever since his move away from the Woking-based team, has registered two race wins to his name while Norris is still hunting for his first.

That does not necessarily mean the Brit could not pose a challenge to his Spanish amigo. Given the trajectory McLaren is on, it is more likely that the 24-year-old will start pushing for wins more than ever.

Will sparks fly between Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz in 2024?

Lando Norris is currently committed to McLaren until the end of 2025 owing to a long-term extension he signed in 2021. Sainz, as rumors have it, is pushing for a 2-year extension at Ferrari that could keep him with the Italian team until at least the end of 2026. That makes one thing very clear – both drivers believe in their respective teams’ projects and are in no hurry to jump ship.

The Papaya team found its mojo back in the second half of 2023. Meanwhile, Ferrari was the only non-Red Bull team to score a win. As a result, 2024 could see them come together on several occasions. In this case, many would expect Norris and Sainz to fight against each other now more than they ever have.

This battle for bragging rights is certainly something the fans would enjoy. Friends turned foes on track – that’s a recipe that Drive to Survive too could capitalize on. And who knows, maybe Lando’s jealousy could result in a skirmish or two with Carlos.

But do not expect it to be just a two-way fight. Mercedes, after arguably their worst season, is raring to go and according to Lewis Hamilton, the data coming from the wind tunnel is promising. As worthy of attention as this three-way battle is, there is one eventuality that could kill all the fun.

That is Max Verstappen and the mighty Red Bull. On the up ever since the advent of the ground-effect era, the Milton Keynes team is showing no signs of slowing down. The Austrian team missed out on only 1 race win in 2023. Surely they will push for a clean sweep in 2024.