Lando Norris was one of the most impressive drivers in the 2021 season. He secured four podiums, with his best being P2 in Monza; he also got a pole position in Russia, the first of his career. For much of the first part of the season, Norris was consistently fighting against the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the front of the grid.
Many times, Verstappen and Hamilton are accused of being as good as their cars. But Norris disagrees and believes that the drivers are better than their cars. He also stated that when they chase you or are behind you, it adds more pressure.
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Lando Norris states why it is hard to defend against Hamilton and Verstappen
As reported by Motorsport-Turkey, the McLaren driver stated why Hamilton and Verstappen are better drivers.
👤 Lando Norris
🎙️ "Max ve Lewis gibi isimler iyi araçları sürmenin ötesinde daha da iyi sürücüler. Bu yüzden onlara karşı mücadele ederken baskı biraz daha fazla oluyor. Size karşı her an mümkün olan her şeyi düşündüklerini biliyorsunuz."#Formula1 #F1 pic.twitter.com/YpunYqRtLC
— Motorsport.com Türkiye 🇹🇷 (@motorsportcomtr) December 30, 2021
“They’re not just in better cars, it’s usually the guys who are in better cars that are more experienced or better drivers. So the pressure is a little more. Because they’re thinking of everything and every possible strategy to get past you. You know they’ve thought of everything possible to attack, race, and pass you,” said the McLaren driver.
Lando mentioned that battling with Max and Lewis has given him more confidence in wheel-to-wheel battles. “It gives you confidence that if you were in the front row more often, in a better car or in the same car, there would be no reason for them to beat you.”
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“Every time I raced against Lewis, Bottas, Perez, or Max, it just added more confidence,” concluded Lando.
The young Brit had battled against the top guys a lot in the early part of the season. All the things he learned while battling them, he put them to good use while defending against them in Monza and Russia. Hopefully, he can fight against them in a faster McLaren car in 2022.
Where do you think Norris will finish in the drivers’ standings next season?
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READ MORE: Why Lando Norris is so popular?