“He Outqualified Carlos, That Was Quite a Statement” – Daniel Ricciardo Relishing Battles With Lando Norris

Daniel Ricciardo has hit the track for testing ahead of his final season with Renault. The Australian will partner Esteban Ocon at Renault this season and then Lando Norris next year at McLaren. Ricciardo has yet to race alongside either of these guys in his career. But he’s definitely looking forward to putting his credentials to the test against these two talented young drivers.

Daniel Ricciardo expects Lando Norris and Esteban Ocon to push him to perform better on the track

Ricciardo was the latest to be interviewed on the ‘F1 Nation‘ podcast. When asked what he expects from Lando, Ricciardo said, “Hopefully a lot, in terms of – you know I obviously felt that with Max at Red Bull, it was like we both lifted each other by pushing each other and being the competitors that we are – I would love that and expect that from Lando. I say I expect it because he had a really strong rookie year. I’m pretty sure he out-qualified Carlos. I’m sure you’re going to see some good competition.”

He reiterated the same thing about his new teammate for 2020, Esteban Ocon as well. Ricciardo said, “Same with Ocon this year. I’ve still obviously got this year with him. I haven’t raced him as a teammate yet, but same kind of deal. I’m actually really excited to have these kind of young, little ankle-biters coming at me. But I’m excited to see how he goes. He’s the most rusty, having all last year off. I know he’s chomping at the bit to get going.”

With the experience and talent that Ricciardo himself possesses, both Lando and Esteban can expect to learn a lot from the Australian. Before he departs for the Woking-based outfit, Ricciardo will want to better his performances from last year with Renault. In a car plagued with reliability issues along with some aerodynamic problems, the Australian put in some solid performances, finishing with 54 points. His highlight of the season was a 4th place finish at Monza.