How Daniel Ricciardo's McLaren struggles aided Lando Norris' growth

McLaren

How Ricciardo's McLaren struggles aided Norris' growth

Norris led McLaren through the early stages of the year

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Friday 24 December 2021 10:00

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Lando Norris has described how having to fight through the initial stages of the 2021 season as team-mate Daniel Ricciardo "was getting up to speed" enabled him to grow as an F1 driver.

McLaren signed Ricciardo from Renault - now Alpine - as a replacement for Ferrari-bound Carlos Sainz but, despite his race-winning pedigree, the former Red Bull driver's season got off to a slow start.

This meant that whilst Ricciardo was getting up to speed, the task of pushing McLaren forward fell to Norris in only his third season racing in the sport.

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Early signs were promising with numerous podium finishes and strong qualifying performances in the first half of the season placing Norris in a fight for third in the drivers' standings with Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull's Sergio Perez.

Speaking in an interview including GPFans before the end of the season, Norris explained how his independence early in the year accelerated his learning.

"I think especially the first half of the season when Daniel was kind of getting up to speed a lot more was, I guess more how I can lead the team myself, and how I have to work, let's say, without as much help of the other teammates, just because Daniel was getting up to speed," said Norris.

"Now, it's like we're more equal, it's just a different situation, but the situation was more like, "how can I push myself a lot more" when I... at that point of the year when I didn't have help from the other half of the garage to push yourselves together, which is more of what we've had in the second half of the season.

"I think the whole thing was very good for me, and I learned how, if I can't use the data from the other car, how I need to approach the weekends, how I need to drive.

"If you can drive differently, you have to try more things yourself.

"You can't afford to let the other car try these things and those things, you have to try as much as you can yourself.

"Leading the team and being alone a little bit more is definitely one of the biggest things."