“It is good to see Ferrari up there” – McLaren star Lando Norris is happy to see Mercedes struggling after a prolonged dominance of eight seasons in the hybrid era.
Mercedes might or might not win the title this season too, after all, but their struggles in the first two races is making a certain Lando Norris is happy.
He is not being sadistic, but is just glad that the field is opening up, facilitating other teams like Red Bull and Ferrari to stop their agonizing eight-year dominance.
“In a way it is nice to see that Mercedes don’t always have success. It shows that even when you have had that success, you can still get things wrong. It is easy to get things wrong.
“Much as I hate to say it, it is good to see Ferrari up there. And it is reassuring for other teams to know it is still possible. If it were just Mercedes and Red Bull again, it would be so predictable.”
The practice sessions are over at the #AusGP. Ferrari take the top spots, Mclaren find some pace, Mercedes still struggling, Haas has not brought a spare chassis and Red Bull’s improvements still see them second. This promises to be quite the race #F1 #Formula1 #australianGP pic.twitter.com/JNBi7BDAP6
— Motorsport Images (@MSI_Images) April 8, 2022
Can Lewis Hamilton win a record 8th title this season?
The Mercedes superstar almost broke Michael Schumacher’s record last season, only to be stopped in his tracks in the final lap of the season by Max Verstappen.
And with Mercedes currently struggling, Norris expects his compatriot to show a different side of his, one without being in the cockpit of the best car on the grid.
“With Lewis you are seeing the challenge of one of the best drivers competing in a car that is not the best. We will see a different side of Lewis, compared to the last decade.
“But I don’t think you can say it is all about the car, rather than Lewis’s ability. He has still been against very good drivers, such as Fernando (Alonso) in his first year, and then went on to achieve what everyone expected of him.
“I just don’t believe in the last few years he has had quite the challenge that he could have had, or maybe that he had against (Nico) Rosberg. Perhaps we will see that against George (Russell).
“I don’t think anything takes away the driver he is.”
