Lando Norris admitted that the McLaren car for the 2022 season has unique characteristics and needs different driving styles and a lot of adaptation
Daniel Ricciardo has left a lot to be desired at McLaren. Since his departure from Renault to McLaren, the Australian has not been able to keep up with his teammate Lando Norris. In 2022, the Australian has only 17 points against the Briton's 64. Norris revealed that the two have very different preferences regarding the rightness of the car and that he doesn't fully understand the reasons for the difference.
"I probably had more difficulties at the beginning of the season with my driving style than Daniel did in the first tests, and I feel I had to adapt quite a bit. Some of my feelings are not the same as his. And the way we drive the car is also different. I don't mind so much an unstable car where I can force the front tires, and he prefers a car that is more stable and goes more out of the front," Lando told the official Formula One website.
"I understand some parts of it, but just focus on me and that's it. As much as I'm willing to help and answer questions and give advice, I'm not just here for that. I still have to focus on my races and try to finish sixth and get good points. There is a balance, some things I understand, some things I don't," Norris said.
The performance disparity has been going on since last year, when Norris finished the season 45 points ahead of Daniel. But the Briton admitted that this year's car is very different and requires great adaptability and unique driving styles. The difference is that Lando has managed to change his driving style, while Ricciardo continues to struggle.
"I feel it's a difficult car to drive. I think our characteristics, which he already knows from the last years, even Carlos [Sainz] said, are very unique and specific. So you have to have some driving styles that you don't grow up learning, so you have to adapt a lot," the young McLaren driver explained.
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"Especially this year, the car is very different, and some of the features from last year are gone and we were introduced to other features, so I had to change my style. At the same time, I also had to adapt. It's not because I've been at McLaren for four years that I know this car inside out," Norris concluded.
Ricciardo has now seen the pressure increase with McLaren's announcement of the hiring of reigning Indy champion Álex Palou for the 2023 season, and he even defended himself on his social networks. The Woking team returns to the track this weekend for the French GP, at Paul Ricard circuit, with full coverage by GRANDE PRÊMIO.