Lando Norris Insists McLaren Not ‘Best of the Rest’ in F1 Title Fight

Last season saw McLaren finish third in the constructor’s standings with 202 points, courtesy of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz. However, Norris still believes there is still work to do if the Woking-based outfit is going to aim for the title.

The young British driver had a great start in 2021. He crossed the line in fourth place to bring home 12 points for the team. However, even though Norris had a good start to the season in Bahrain, he still thinks there is work to be done as the season progresses.

Even though McLaren have shifted to a Mercedes power unit, Norris doesn’t seem to think they are the third fastest car on the grid. The McLaren driver hopes they can improve on their form by the time they race in Imola for the Italian Grand Prix.

Lando Norris thinks McLaren are fifth in terms of competitiveness

The 21-year-old said, “Difficult to say. I want to say we did a good job about thinking about [the race]. Already on Friday and Saturday we were thinking about the race already. The pace seemed easier to maintain.”

“[In qualifying] realistically we had the fifth fastest car. We aren’t like the third best or anything. We have work to do and hopefully, at Imola we can make a step forward.” Norris concluded.

Lando feels that his new teammate, Ricciardo, is better suited to the car

The Australian driver left Renault (Alpine) at the end of 2020 to join the Woking-based outfit. In his debut race for the team, Ricciardo finished 7th in the race and earned six points in the process. Norris thinks that Daniel can adapt better to the car than he.

In an interview with Autosport, Norris said,  “Although Daniel is new to the car there are some differences with the car this year and how you have to drive it. At points, his driving style is better for it and is more suited for it.”

He added, “How we’ve had to drive the car the last two seasons is kind of going away in a good way. That’s something I need to adjust to a little bit because the car is different this year.”

The next race is at Imola for the Italian Grand Prix. Can the young driver adjust to the car and push the limits of the McLaren around the Italian circuit? We shall find out on the 18th of April. What did you think of Norris’s first race of the season? Let us know in the comments below.

Also Read: Lando Norris: Sergio Perez “Just Couldn’t Put It Together” in Bahrain GP Qualifying