McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl warns "there's a lot more to come" from Lando Norris

McLaren

Seidl warns "there's a lot more to come" from Norris

McLaren boss has praised the improvement of his young driver between seasons

Sam Hall

Tuesday 14 July 2020 09:54

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McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has warned McLaren's Formula 1 rivals that Lando Norris has the talent to keep improving over the coming years.

After the first two races of this season, Norris currently lies third in the drivers' championship standings behind only Mercedes duo Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton.

Norris finished third and fifth in the two grands prix at the Red Bull Ring, with both results an improvement on the best performance of his rookie year - sixth in both Bahrain and Austria.

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Assessing what Norris has so far achieved and the potential to come, Seidl said: "I think he reflected very well together with his team over the winter, what he can do better in terms of how to prepare for race weekends, and to improve how to work together with his engineers.

“I think we could see already in winter testing and also in the build-up to his first race of the season that he had definitely made a step there.

“The way how focussed, calm and relaxed he was approaching his first race weekend and how he improved on the lap times and performance in the race is encouraging to see.

“At the same time, there is still a lot more to come. His development, I am really looking forward to the next years with him.”

Reflecting on the high intensity of F1 compared to the junior series, Seidl can appreciate his young driver was potentially overwhelmed at times.

Seidl added: "We should never forget that these guys are still very young, and when you come into Formula 1 from the junior categories, it is always a big step.

“To go through a season, especially a rookie season, as such a young guy, is tough. It’s very energy consuming, and what I could see across last year was something where he was, like every rookie, struggling at some point.

“We should never forget, one thing is driving the car around in circles, but when you come into Formula 1, there are so many other things you have to prepare yourself for outside of the car.

"The marketing side and the media side, together with our partners and sponsors, and that’s just huge."

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