Former F1 driver Mario Andretti expects Lando Norris to ‘shine’ next season. Andretti believes F1 has become richer in talent as many new young faces have entered the grid.
In a post-season interview with RN365, the 1978 F1 World Champion said:
“Overall, the top teams are really well stocked with talent. If it’s not one, it could be the other. Daniel Ricciardo has shown tremendous ability to be at the top with a top team. I think Lando (Norris) is at the point where he’s to be reckoned with.”
Norris was one of the most impressive drivers on the grid for the first half of last season, often delivering performances that rivaled Championship protagonists Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The young Brit fought for pole position several times and only missed it through small mistakes.
When he finally clinched his first career pole at the Russian Grand Prix, he couldn’t convert it into a race win. Regardless, the 22-year-old led much of the race and successfully held off an attacking Lewis Hamilton in a faster Mercedes.
Lando Norris, now entering his fourth F1 season with McLaren, is one of the most respected talents on the grid and looks set to be a future World Championship contender.
McLaren boss confident in Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo’s championship skills
McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes his team has two of the best drivers on the grid, both capable of winning championships given the opportunity.
In a postseason interview with the Express, Brown said:
“I think what you need is two riders that you think are capable of being world champions and I’m very confident that we have that. We now have two drivers capable of winning Grands Prix, one who has done it and one who will undoubtedly do it.”
Daniel Ricciardo joined McLaren from Renault ahead of the 2021 season but failed to live up to expectations and struggled to adapt to the MCL35M. However, as the season progressed, Ricciardo slowly made progress and started to realize the car’s potential. Meanwhile, his teammate Lando Norris shone throughout the first half of the season and proved a constant threat to the top teams.
DANIEL RICCIARDO WINS THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX. HIS FIRST WIN SINCE MONACO 2018. HIS FIRST WIN WITH MCLAREN.
DANIEL RICCIARDO WINS THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX. HIS FIRST WIN SINCE MONACO 2018. HIS FIRST WIN WITH MCLAREN. https://t.co/KFvdpm1qHe
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McLaren was the only team to achieve a double victory at the Italian Grand Prix in 2021. Ricciardo grabbed his first win since 2018 while Norris finished a close second.
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