‘That Was a Cheers’ – Lando Norris Clarifies ‘Wave’ to Daniel Ricciardo in Monaco

One of the most talked-about moments from the Monaco Grand Prix involved both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. The former, who had a race to remember, lapped his more experienced teammate and waved at him while doing so. This action polarized the internet, with some suggesting that it was awfully childish and rather rude for Norris to have done so. However, the Briton has offered some clarity regarding the intentions of the wave.

Norris said that his wave wasn’t meant to put down his Australian teammate. Planet F1 quoted him saying, “That was a ‘cheers’. And not a way of saying “bye bye sucker.”

The Briton would instead go on to defend his teammate’s lackluster result. He said, “In Monaco you just get stuck behind everyone and gaps get created so I don’t think anyone needs to talk about that.

“Daniel doesn’t need any shame or anything [being lapped]. It was just a blue flag and it’s easy to get here in Monaco because you just get stuck behind cars.

“So it doesn’t matter.

“I think Daniel had good pace in the race. When I got ahead of him I didn’t really pull away.”

Norris’ P3 finish puts him third in the Drivers’ Championship table, ahead of Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas, who had to retire due to a jammed wheel nut.

Lando Norris says it is up to Ricciardo to improve his results

Ricciardo has collected 24 points from the five races thus far. It is not a bad tally, but when compared to what his teammate has accrued, it does look underwhelming.

The man from down under has been vocal about the struggles of adapting to the car. While Norris empathizes with him, the 21-year-old says that ultimately it is up to Daniel himself to snap out of his funk.

Lando said, “Like we saw in Barcelona, when the car is good [for him] he’s there. But when it’s not, he struggles. It’s up to him.”

With a man of Ricciardo’s skill and experience, you’d back him to get faster sooner rather than later. Whether that’ll happen in time for the race in Baku, only time will tell.

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