After Rocky Start, Lando Norris Summarizes Complicated Public Relationship With Daniel Ricciardo in Two Words

The fourth installment of the Netflix series “Drive to Survive” glued the F1 fandom to their screens. Even though most fans were satisfied with the show’s offering, there were some who were left disgruntled. Among those few disgruntled fans, there are a few F1 drivers themselves. Lando Norris is among those who did not feel the portrayal of his relationship with Daniel Ricciardo was accurate.

The show covered Norris and Ricciardo in the second episode of season 4. However, Norris felt the show creators resorted to creative editing to ramp up the drama in the show. Norris discussed his agitation over this scenario in an interview with GQ magazine.

Defending his relationships with his former teammates, Norris covered the topic of both Sainz and Ricciardo. “Carlos and I get on extremely well. I kind of grew up with him,” he explains. “Daniel I got on with pretty well. He and I were the perfect competitors: we hated beating each other like we hated getting beat by one another.”

Norris then explained his two sets of dynamics with his teammates. “Away from the track, we respected each other massively,” Norris says. “I keep it separate; I can be the biggest competitor I need to be on the race track, but I can also respect and be good mates with other people.”

Read More: “I Think That’s Too Far..” -Lando Norris Points Out Faulty Daniel Ricciardo Narrative in F1 Drive to Survive

There is clearly no bad blood between Ricciardo and Norris, despite what Drive to Survive would like you to believe. In fact, the portrayal was so dramatized that the CEO had to request the show creators to dial it down.

Before Norris, Ricciardo also cleared the air after season 4 of the show was released.

Daniel Ricciardo clears the air about his relationship with Lando Norris

Not instantly, but the Australian got along well with Norris, eventually. This is the opposite of what DTS communicated in their narrative of the McLaren garage.

However, speaking to Channel 4 news, Ricciardo cleared the air. “I felt like a lot of people probably wanted us to be best friends from day one.” said Ricciardo “And it was something that we couldn’t really force and it did take a bit of time to really create a good relationship. But in saying that, there wasn’t tension or anything, it was just that we were trying to figure each other out. Currently, where I sit today, I think we have a very good relationship.”

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True or not, DTS knows how to put on a show. Maybe this is why the show has such a big fanbase now. However, let’s hope there is more truth in their future storylines.