Norris ‘curious’ to discover F1 teammate Ricciardo’s approach at McLaren
Lando Norris is excited to be racing alongside new McLaren Formula 1 teammate Daniel Ricciardo and is curious to discover how the Australian operates.
The pair will become teammates at McLaren for the upcoming 2021 season with former Red Bull racer Ricciardo arriving from Renault as replacement for Carlos Sainz, who made the switch to Ferrari.
Both Norris and Ricciardo made their first appearances of the year at McLaren’s Woking factory earlier this week and the 21-year-old Briton says he is relishing the prospect of the new dynamic alongside the seven-time grand prix winner.
“I’d say [I’m excited to be] teaming up with Daniel. Not because he's good fun to be around, but because I like to work out the approach of my team mates,” Norris said in an interview on McLaren’s website.
“Daniel has a lot of experience: he’s raced with big teams, scored plenty of podiums and knows how to win Grands Prix. I’m curious to see how he drives a car and what his approach is.”
2021. Buckle up!
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) February 4, 2021
@danielricciardo pic.twitter.com/4qwxhDrFDx
Norris, who has fully recovered from contracting coronavirus while out in Dubai for a training camp, is itching to get back racing with a record-breaking 23-round calendar scheduled.
“Unsurprisingly, I’m very eager to get back behind the wheel of an F1 car. I’ve driven the MCL35M in the simulator, but I can’t give you any clues about what it’s like to drive," Norris explained.
“It feels like ages since the last race in Abu Dhabi; I can’t wait to go racing again and push one of the fastest cars on the planet to the limit.
“I love the feeling of going into the unknown, that’s part of what makes F1 so special,” he added.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen in each race. Anything is possible and it’s all about embracing what the season brings: new people, new relationships, new drivers to compete against, new cars.
“There are some new additions to the F1 calendar this season, but I’m also looking forward to hopefully going back to some of the countries we couldn’t race at last year – places like the US, Japan and Singapore.
“They’re some of my favourite places to go, not just because of the circuits we race at in those countries, but because of the great cultures we get to experience and, of course, the fans.
“I really hope we get to see more fans at the track this season, we’ve really missed them.”
