Former F1 driver believes Lando Norris will be a “force to be reckoned with” in 2022

Former F1 driver Mario Andretti expects Lando Norris to “shine” in the upcoming season. Andretti believes that F1 has become richer with talent as many new young faces have joined the grid.

Speaking in a post-season interview with RN365, the 1978 F1 world champion said:

“Overall, the top teams are really well armed with talent. If it’s not one, it could be the other. Daniel Ricciardo has shown tremendous ability to be up at the top with a top team. I think Lando (Norris) is at the point where he could be a force to be reckoned with.”

Norris was one of the most impressive drivers on the grid during the first half of last season, often producing performances that were on par with championship protagonists Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. On several occasions, the young Briton was in serious contention for pole position, missing out only due to small mistakes.

When he did ultimately take his first career pole at the Russian Grand Prix, he failed to convert it into a race victory. Regardless, the 22-year-old led for much of the race, successfully holding off a charging Lewis Hamilton in a faster Mercedes.

Now heading into his fourth F1 season with McLaren, Lando Norris is one of the most highly regarded talents on the grid and is expected to be a future contender for the world championship.

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McLaren boss confident of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo’s championship-winning abilities

McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes his team has two of the best drivers on the grid, both capable of winning championships if given the opportunity.

Speaking in a post-season interview with the Express, Brown said:

“I think what you need to have are two drivers that you think are capable of being world champions and I am very confident we have that. We now have two drivers capable of winning Grand Prix, one that has done it and one that will no doubt do it.”

Daniel Ricciardo joined McLaren ahead of the 2021 season from Renault but failed to live up to expectations, struggling to adapt to the MCL35M. As the season progressed, however, Ricciardo slowly made progress and started to live up to the potential of the car. Meanwhile, his teammate Lando Norris dazzled throughout the first half of the season, proving to be a constant threat to the top teams.

At the Italian Grand Prix, McLaren became the only team in 2021 to have scored a one-two finish. Ricciardo took his first victory since 2018, while Norris finished a close second.