“Our interests away from the circuit are very different”– Lando Norris reveals why Daniel Ricciardo can never be as close as Carlos Sainz

“Our interests away from the circuit are very different”– Lando Norris reveals why Daniel Ricciardo can never be the closest to him.

Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz probably had the most wholesome pairing off-the-track, which even Netflix with the Drive to Survive season 3 couldn’t spoil for the fans. But in 2021, both got separated as Sainz left for Ferrari.

The Spaniard was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo, who is also adored by F1 fans for his adorable and fun-loving off-track personality. It was believed that the new teammates will connect instantly.

They were right, but Norris still thinks Ricciardo being a good friend to him, can never be as close as Sainz was with him, simply because they don’t share similar interests.

“[Daniel and I] still get on well, we still have good laughs, we’re still good mates and everything,” Norris explained. “But one simple thing is our interests away from the circuit are very different.”

“He’s more into making wines and clothing and things and I’m more into golf and Esports and those kinds of things, which Carlos was a bit more into.”

“So [Carlos and I would] play golf now and then and get on the sim and race each other and that kind of things. One simple thing of becoming better mates is spending time together and enjoying yourself – and playing golf was one of those things that made a lot of things better.”

Carlos Sainz was a distraction?

Norris this year has started on an impactful note, he is the only remaining driver on the grid to score points in every 2021race so far. So, it was asked Is Sainz’s absence allowing him to focus more.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “I think I’m focusing more on myself than I have done, focusing on the important things, the things I really need to focus on which is my driving, having a performance like I’m having this year.

“And a part of that… is focusing on things you really need to focus on to do a better job, spending time with my engineers, and less time chatting and having fun and things like that.

However, Norris has also clarified that he will never drop his fun side in F1 and just has increased his work ethic, which is probably giving him an extra edge this year.

“I still love it and do everything I want to do. There’s just a bigger shift towards the focus and the work ethic side. There definitely has been an effect but I can’t tell you how much.”

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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