Lando Norris has no sympathy for his McLaren team-mate Daniel Ricciardo’s troubles and insists he needs to focus on himself
Lando Norris says he has no sympathy for Daniel Ricciardo’s difficulties getting into shape with the McLaren MCL36 Formula One car. Norris insists this year’s car didn’t suit him at first either and he had to change his driving style to perform at a high level.
The Briton says he has tried to help Ricciardo by sharing information, but stresses that ultimately it is not his job to help his teammate get up to speed.
Asked if he had any sympathy for Ricciardo’s situation, given how difficult the MCL36 is to drive, Norris clarifies his position: “I hate to say it, but I would say no,” says the Briton. “People would probably hate me if I said that. “
Norris: “Have to focus on myself “
“It’s difficult because you never know if I might come across something like that in the future with this car or with another team. So I never want to contradict myself going into the future. I just have to concentrate on my driving and my job. It’s not my job to focus on anyone else.”
“I’m not a driver coach, I’m not here to help and do things like that. I’m here to do my best and that’s it. So it’s difficult when people have the expectation that it’s my job to do these other things as well, when that’s not really the case,” said the McLaren driver.
“And it’s also the case that if I don’t perform well for a couple of years, it can be the end of my career, the end of my driving and Formula 1. So I have to focus on myself most of the time. And every driver has to adapt to the circumstances they’re in, and I feel like I had to do that. “
Norris: Ricciardo was even better in testing
Norris also stresses that the MCL36 is not easy for him to drive either. “It’s not a car that I can just get into and feel comfortable with and drive the way I want to,” he says.
“At the beginning of the year, Daniel was better than me in the pre-season tests. And it looked like he could just drive the car the way he wanted. I had to adopt a new driving style, like I was used to driving the car for the last three years. So I felt I had to adapt and so did he.”
“But I don’t feel you have to feel sorry for any driver on the grid because he wasn’t able to do as good a job,” Norris clarifies.
