Daniel Ricciardo talks about the time when he just joined McLaren and how Lando Norris impressed him with his skills.
Lando Norris had a terrific year with McLaren in 2021. Especially the first of the last season, where the Briton constantly scored points. Though, at the end of the season, he slipped a bit because of Ferrari’s superiority.
Moreover, he kept McLaren out of trouble when Daniel Ricciardo was expected to perform but struggled. Reflecting at that time, Ricciardo confesses that he was mightily impressed by Norris.
“I wouldn’t say I was surprised, because there are 20 of us in F1, and there are a lot of others in the world who are trying to get there.
“So I always expect there to be someone very talented, someone fast, but you never know how fast. I’ll be honest, I think I knew Lando was good, but I didn’t know at what level, and I think he pushed that level as high as he could last year.”
Also read: McLaren denies to name Lando Norris as their number one driver after the extension of his contract
Lando Norris brought the car to the next level
Ricciardo reveals that Norris consistently taking the car to next level motivated him as seeing him, the Australian realized that MCL35M can be taken at that level.
“It’s no surprise, but I think I was impressed with his skills, with the level he took the car to. It was obviously difficult at times for me, because I wasn’t always at the same level.”
“But it was also encouraging to see that the car could be brought to that level. It was just me trying to figure it out,” said Daniel Ricciardo. Norris and Ricciardo are set to compete for McLaren once again in 2022.
It only remains to be seen whether Norris will manage to keep his level above Ricciardo or will the latter manages to overwhelm him.
Also read: Lando Norris confirms he got a pay hike with new Mclaren contract
