In the week leading up to the pre-season tests which will take place in Bahrain from 23 to 25 February, Lando Norris he went back to talking about his goals and the goals set for this championship. A world championship that will be the fifth of the Briton’s career in Circus and which, despite his short experience in this category, will present another novelty for him: in half a decade, Norris has in fact shared the McLaren garage with well three different pilots. After the first two seasons spent alongside friend Carlos Sainz, the next two were held alongside Daniel Ricciardonow back in Red Bull as third driver after his disappointing 2022. Now, for 2023, Norris will always have an Australian national team-mate, but who will respond to the rookie’s name Oscar Piastri.
A talent, that of the 21-year-old, who has already emerged in the two consecutive victories conquered in the F3 and F2 championships (2020 and 2021), and is now ready to demonstrate all his worth even at the wheel of the McLaren, albeit in the role of rookie. The credentials to be able to do well are all there, as well as the expectations that Norris places towards him. In fact, after the presentation of the MCL60, the Englishman hopes to be able to witness high-level performances from his teammate, not without sparing a dig at Ricciardo: “As a team we need a rider who will push me a little more – he told the press – and we hope that this will allow me to express the best of myself. It’s what we have missed him in recent seasonsand I hope Oscar can add something to push me and help me reach another limit.”
Still with regard to Piastri, Norris admitted that he has no particular fears about having to wait a long time before his new teammate is able to adapt to the car: “There is nothing to worry about – he added – I know how good of a driver he is, so I don’t expect it to take a long time to get used to F1. I’m sure there will be times when he’ll perform great and push me to the limit. Hopefully we can use this to our advantage as a team. So, I’m looking forward to those moments and I hope to have some good battles with him and to carry the team forward”.
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