‘One of the guys I looked up to’: Norris can’t wait to race alongside Ricciardo at Albert Park

McLaren Formula One star Lando Norris says his relationship with teammate Daniel Ricciardo has grown over recent seasons and it is “a pleasure” to race alongside the Australian at his home grand prix.

“Daniel’s home race is an exciting one for him and one I think it is a pleasure for me to be a part of,” said Norris.

Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix this weekend, Norris said he works well with Ricciardo and Netflix’s hit F1 documentary series Drive to Survive is “maybe not the most accurate and true story that gets revealed”.

Lando Norris says it’s a “pleasure” to race alongside Daniel Ricciardo in the Australian’s home grand prix.Credit: Scott McNaughton

“I guess we got to know each other more and more over the last few seasons and how we work together,” said Norris.

“We’ve become much better friends and it’s been like an honour for me in many ways because I’ve grown up watching Daniel for the last 10 years or so. When I was a kid or teenager, Daniel was one of the guys I looked up to and aspired to be like.

“He was the cool guy in Formula One. So, it was cool to grow up watching him and then also now be his teammate and get to witness everything that he’s made of and what makes him so special.”

Norris finished sixth in the drivers’ championship last season, 45 points ahead of Ricciardo in eighth after the Australian struggled at times in his first season with McLaren since his switch from Renault (now Alpine).

However, Ricciardo did win the Italian Grand Prix, with Norris finishing in second place in what was a memorable day for the team at Monza.

Yet, the 2022 season has started disappointingly for McLaren as the team’s car lacked pace during the first two rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The team is currently third-last in the constructors’ championship, with Norris’ seventh-placed finish in Saudi Arabia the best result for McLaren so far.

“He was the cool guy in Formula One. So, it was cool to grow up watching him and then also now be his teammate and get to witness everything that he’s made of, and what makes him so special.”

Lando Norris on McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo

However, Norris said changes to the Albert Park circuit since the last Australian Grand Prix in 2019 may help given the “struggles” the team has had with the car.

“We’re struggling in the slower-speed corners and over the bumps, and the track has gone away from that, with more high-speed corners and a much smoother surface from what I’m aware of as well,” he said.

“So I think it’s coming into our favour, and we can have a better weekend than what we might have had if it was the old circuit.”

Lando Norris will race in his second Australian Grand Prix this weekend.Credit: Scott McNaughton

Norris said his relationship with teammate Ricciardo would be crucial in helping the team improve as the 2022 season progressed.

“I think we’re very good teammates, which is important in a time like this with the team trying to develop things and make big improvements,” he said.

Attendance at the Australian Grand Prix is expected to come close to record levels, with a sellout crowd for Saturday qualifying and the Sunday race forecast.

After the race was cancelled at the last minute in 2020 due to COVID-19, organisers believe two years of waiting for the event to return, Drive to Survive, and a nail-biting 2021 F1 season is driving heightened interest in the grand prix.

Norris says he expects a “cool atmosphere” across the weekend and compared the experience to his home race as a British driver at Silverstone.

“Obviously 100 per cent of the fans here are all for Danny, so it’s cool to see that and cool to see all the support for him,” he said.

This weekend will mark the first Australian F1 grand prix since 2019.

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