The sixth round of the Formula 1 calendar will take place this weekend in Imola. Even after 2.5 months, there haven’t been any drastic changes to McLaren’s condition. However, the team is still working to find a solution to return the team to the competitive zone, but it is unlikely to occur in the next several weeks. And now amidst this challenging time, Zak Brown has chosen to highlight the team’s leader Lando Norris despite the fact that the Woking-based squad has still no answer for their own plight.

Norris joined McLaren in 2019, and ever since then, he has not only proven his skill but also been consistent and tenacious. The 23-year-old was first paired with Carlos Sainz, who eventually left for Ferrari. After that, in 2021, the British driver and the flamboyant Australian Daniel Ricciardo shared some of their best moments off the track. However, Ricciardo rarely had the best races on the track, and due to the Australian’s disastrous performance, the squad decided to replace him, leaving Lando Norris as the team leader.

The Woking-based team’s decision to sever connections with Ricciardo resulted in the arrival of Oscar Piastri, a prodigal talent who is now looking up to Lando Norris and hoping to spend some time with him and pick his brain.

Prior to the start of the season, Brown had previously said that the MCL60 had fallen short of a number of crucial development goals, which have so far been obvious. Despite this, both pilots, especially Lando Norris have given their all to help the squad get some points, but they have fallen short as a result of the numerous problems that have afflicted their MCL60. Brown, who has known Norris for a long time, has praised the British driver after being impressed with the 23-year-old’s performance as the team’s leading driver and being the oldest one on the team.

During a conversation with Sky Sports, Brown said, “It’s the first time, he said, he’s ever been the oldest guy in the racing team, and I think it’s a great blend of youth and experience. He’s doing a great job. The team loves working with him. He’s been here for a long time, even well before he was in a Formula 1 car.”

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Lando Norris has been working for McLaren for four years and has two more years left on his contract. However, throughout the course of time, he has worked with three talented drivers, of which two were Australians. And now, after we have seen two distinct Australian drivers alongside him, he has opted to contrast his present partner with his earlier one.

Lando Norris reveals the contrast between Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri

Owing to a dismal run last year, McLaren ousted Danny Ric to bring in Oscar Piastri as his replacement. However, after their respectable performance last year, this season is shaping up to be a letdown for them since the Woking-based team is still trying to find the team’s competitive midfield pace.

While the papaya army as a whole has endured some sleepless nights, Lando Norris has been spending a lot of time with Oscar Paistri in the Mclaren’s garage. His relationship seems to be somewhat similar to the one he had with Daniel Ricciardo, despite the fact that both Australian drivers have quite distinct personalities.

While adding that Piastri has been “pushing ” Norris “harder” the Briton told that after Ricciardo’s exit, McLaren might have been “leaning” on him a little more. As per PlanetF1, Norris remarked on his relationship with Piastri, “So it’s good, fun. Different, I guess to Daniel, I feel like a bit of a contrast of Australian but still good fun.”

He added, “Maybe they lean on me a little bit more for the knowledge of how we were in previous years, to look at the development from last year to this year and things like that. He’s very fast at the same time, so probably been pushing me a little bit more than the past couple years.”

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Do you believe that the new McLaren pairing will change the fortunes of the team?