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“It really gives you more confidence”: Lando Norris admits racing against drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen made him a better driver in 2021

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"It really gives you more confidence": Lando Norris admits racing against drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen made him a better driver in 2021

McLaren starlet Lando Norris says that fighting the front runners on track in 2021 gave him a lot of confidence to do better.

Norris had a stellar 2021 season with McLaren, bagging four podium finishes, including a career-best 2nd place finish at Monza. His performances have drawn praises from drivers, pundits, and fans worldwide.

The young driver made his F1 debut just two seasons ago and is already being tipped as a future World Champion. This year, his strong outings mean that he spent quite some time fighting at the front of the grid.

Norris feels that being able to race against the best made him feel more confident this year. However, he had to adjust the way he duelled with the front-runners, taking a different approach while racing.

Also read: Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz praises the high standards of the existing talent pool in Formula 1

“They’re not just in better cars. But generally the guys who are in better cars are also going to be the more experienced or better drivers.” said Norris.

“So there’s a little bit more pressure, because you know that they’ll think of every plan or strategy possible for how to get past you and so on.”

“That’s the only thing, is that you know that they will be thinking of every single thing possible in order to attack you and to race against you and overtake you.”

Lando Norris aims to be at par with the likes of Hamilton and Verstappen in the near future

Norris finished P6 in this year’s Championship. The 22-year-old was sitting comfortably at P4 halfway into the season. During the latter half, a slump in form saw him slip down to 6th.

The Bristol-born driver’s next aim is to battle with and challenge the best drivers on track consistently.

“The only thing it really gives you is confidence. If you’re there more often or you have a better car. Then there’s no reason why they should be able to beat you if you’re in the same car.” said Lando.

“Every time I raced against Lewis or Bottas, or Max or Perez. I think the only thing it really gives you is more confidence.”

“That you know that, when you are more often in this position. Whether it’s next year or in two years. Then you feel ready to race against them all the time and ready to beat them.” the McLaren driver concluded.

Also read: Mercedes are set to go back to using a Silver Livery for the 2022 season

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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