“I have a lot of respect for Daniel Ricciardo” – Lando Norris says he will “miss” him at McLaren next year

After Carlos Sainz left for Ferrari, everyone thought Lando Norris will be all alone now that ‘CarLando’ was no more. But in comes the ‘Honey Badger’ Daniel Ricciardo! And the pair of 2 of the funniest and most interesting guys on the grid was a treat for all fans.

But the pair will part ways as Riccardo will be rejoining Red Bull as a reserve driver. Nevertheless, Norris says he will miss former McLaren teammate Ricciardo.

The Briton had kind words about his former teammate as he said, “I will miss him. It was a lot of fun. We got to know each other more and more and you get better friends through time.”

 

Lando and Daniel spent 2 years as teammates at McLaren. And the youngster has nothing but good memories and respect for his parting teammate.

Also Read: “He was positive even during the struggle”- McLaren boss reveals how crucial Daniel Ricciardo was to them despite enduring difficult times

Lando Norris looks up to Daniel Ricciardo

Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo were quite a pair for McLaren. As the two helped the team claim their first race win and 1-2 finish in nearly a decade at Monza. But consistent results and a poor 2022 campaign marred the relations between the two.

Ricciardo especially struggled to find pace in the 2022 car, which caused McLaren to sever his contract at the end of the year. Despite the rumours, Norris says there was no fallout between the two and both drivers were good friends.

Norris said, “We’ve had a lot of good moments. Even with what the media say, that we are against each other and all the nonsense.”

He adds “I have a lot of respect for Daniel, with all that he has done and achieved in the past. And as a racing driver, You should always have a level of respect.”

He also claims to have learnt a lot from the experienced Aussie. The two had even taken up a common hobby in photography. And it will be quite difficult to replace a driver like Daniel claims Lando.

Also Read: Lando Norris ‘hates’ people questioning his relationship with Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo returns to Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo will be taking up a reserve driver role at Red Bull for 2023, And Lando Norris is looking forward to still seeing his old teammate around.

Ricciardo, following his struggles with McLaren, decided to take a hiatus from racing. Paired with the scarcity of racing seats, his only choice available was a reserve driver role at his former team.

The Aussie will join Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez but won’t be given any racing role. He will be given a third driver role of certain test runs and sponsorship events.

McLaren has a challenging year ahead with rookie Oscar Piastri joining the team as Ricciardo’s replacement. The team lost out on the battle for P4 to Alpine and needs to be back at their best form to regain their lost momentum

Also Read: “We had our challenges”: McLaren boss Zak Brown blames Daniel Ricciardo for disappointing fifth place finish in 2022