Lando Norris suggests there’s more he can learn from Daniel Ricciardo despite having out-performed the Australian throughout the 2021 Formula 1 season.
Ricciardo joined Norris at McLaren this season after two years at Renault, though results have not flowed as freely as many expected.
The Australian has struggled to come to grips with the MCL35M, a car the team acknowledges requires a specific driving style that does not come naturally to the seven-time grand prix winner.
While Ricciardo has battled, Norris has enjoyed the form of his career, with three podium positions and a front-row start in the first half of the season.
“We get along and we’re still getting to know each other more and more, even at this point of the season, and we will continue to do that for the next few years,” the Brit said of his relationship with his 32-year-old team-mate.
“But he’s a guy still, like personally, that I can learn a lot from.
“He’s got a lot of experience in Formula 1, is one of the greatest drivers that we’ve seen in Formula 1, and there are a lot of great things about him.
“There’s many things I can learn and, and take onboard and use to help me become a better driver,” he added.
“That goes from things I can learn from him off the track, but also things when you’re on the track and we’re driving, in his driving that maybe people wouldn’t necessarily see from onboards or cameras or from on TV, but the data and details he goes into with his engineers and things, and how hard he’s worked to make improvements since the beginning of the season.
“It’s a pleasure and getting to know him more and having a lot of fun and enjoying working with each other.”
In May, Norris signed a new multi-year contract with McLaren that will ensure the squad carries an unchanged line-up through until the 2023 season.
It currently sits fourth in the constructors’ championship, having lost ground to Ferrari over the Dutch Grand Prix weekend.
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