A single race cannot be enough to overturn the trend of an entire season. Daniel Ricciardo He was exceptional at Monza in taking the perfect opportunity to bring a McLaren back to the top step of the podium in a Formula 1 GP, a feat not seen in Woking since the 2012 Interlagos race, when Jenson Button won. The result won by the Australian on Italian soil, however, cannot make us forget how much the former Red Bull and Renault driver suffered in the direct confrontation with the youngest – but already ‘veteran’ of the team – Lando Norris.
Bristol’s talent was probably the real revelation of the season, occupying for a long time the third position in the drivers’ standings, before closing the championship in sixth place, overtaken at the very last GP by the Ferrari of former teammate Carlos Sainz. Norris has beaten Ricciardo in any statistical category, obviously excluding that of victories, for which the enormous regret of the success thrown away in Russia remains for having chosen not to stop in the pits in the rain. English was faster in qualifying – setting a better time than his partner on 15 out of 22 occasions – and showed one greater concreteness in competition.
In fact, the points placed in # 4 were 20, a seasonal record shared with the vice-world champion Hamilton and with Sainz. With each retirement, in the 20 races that the two standard bearers of the papaya team have completed together, Norris has been up front on 14 occasions. Finally, returning to the performance in qualifying, it is also worth underlining the figures for entrances to Q3. Norris was in the top-10 on 21 out of 22 occasions, Ricciardo only in 13, highlighting a constant difficulty in being able to take the MCL35M to the limit.
McLaren | Ricciardo | Norris |
Qualifications | 7 | 15 |
Q2 inputs | 20 | 22 |
Inputs Q3 | 13 | 21 |
Pole Position | 0 | 1 |
Average detachment Q. | +0.341 | |
Sprint qualifications | 1 | 2 |
Competition | 6 | 14 |
Top-10 | 13 | 20 |
Podiums | 1 | 4 |
Victories | 1 | 0 |
Points | 115 | 160 |
Withdrawals | 1 | 1 |
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