Seidl is well aware that McLaren has to raise its game to match Norris’s expectations: “We’re very happy to have Lando onboard.
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We are up against very strong competition, always having a strong car and strong drivers as well.” Because the battle we are in at the moment for this P4 in the constructors’ championship is a very tight one. “At the same time it’s also very, very important for us as a team. If I just see again this weekend how he’s pulling it off from the first run onwards, it’s impressive. “There’s a reason why we are very happy that we could sign Lando for the long term: he has shown since he’s with us at McLaren in F1, with the progress he has made in the last few years, and the performance that he is definitely something special. “Obviously, it’s still early days to compare Lando with Lewis or Michael,” his team boss Andreas Seidl said when asked in Monaco if it was now evident that Norris is in that sort of league. Will we see more hints of potential greatness in the coming races?
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Having had another 10 days to recover Norris should be a lot closer to full fitness in Azerbaijan this weekend, and thus in theory he will be better able to fully exploit his increasing understanding of the car. “I feel only like now, so far into the season or I guess six, seven races, whatever it is, that I’m finally coming to terms with understanding this.” But it also takes time for everyone to understand all these things. So there’s quite a few changes this year with the car, and I think you’re seeing that evidently with drivers, that it’s suiting people more than others. “Same with Perez, who is in a much better position comparing to what he was last year. Carlos beat him last year, and this year it just looks like Charles is in a much more comfortable position. “But I think you can see that with other drivers as well, with how Charles has done much better this year relative to Carlos. “So in some ways, it’s still like a fresh start for me and a new team, and I have to re-assess how I drive the car in some ways, and I can’t drive how I want to in many ways. “It’s been a new car for me, it’s new tyres, new set-ups and new everything,” he stressed. Norris appears to easily have had the measure of Ricciardo in 2022, with five points finishes to the Australian’s one And there’s a lot of things that I’ve had to try and re-adjust to this year. It’s not just for Daniel, it’s not just for other people, it’s the same for everyone. “But I’m understanding more and more about the car. “I’m a little bit surprised how well I’ve done the last couple of weekends with how I felt,” he said after the Monaco flag. He’s keen to point out that like everyone on the grid he’s still had to come to terms with the 2022 car and its quirks, and it’s been a challenge for him as much as it has been for his team mate.
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In the end an extra free stop allowed him to push and claim the bonus point for fastest lap. It also saw a rare moment of conflict on the radio as Norris wanted to get going while being told to save his tyres. Having said that the race as always required intense concentration, especially in the wet early stages. It was a real iron man performance, and his eighth place probably represented the hardest four points he’ll ever earn.Īs noted he felt better in Monaco, and the slow pace – and the red flag break – helped him physically. “Of course it crossed my mind many times, because it was something that had to be taken into consideration, with how much I was struggling,” he explained in Monaco. But even they were impressed by the commitment he showed in Barcelona, where his tonsillitis meant that he hadn’t slept properly and felt like hell, and yet he still managed to make it to the flag in baking hot conditions. Norris has very little left to prove to the team and the people who have put their faith in him. The 32-year-old is a multiple race-winner and that talent doesn’t disappear overnight, thus when he says he’s still struggling to adjust to the McLaren MC元6 we have to take his word for it.īut is his situation being brought into even sharper focus by a brilliantly on-form Norris? In other words is it time to acknowledge that the younger man will one day stand comparison with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher? Meanwhile much has been said and written about Ricciardo’s struggles over the past 18 months.
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It’s an impressive commitment by both parties, and by the end of it Norris will have spent seven years as a race driver with the team that gave him his chance. Sign-up now for access to a limited number of articles.
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