"He has something special" - McLaren are 'very happy' that Lando Norris is part of the team

Lando Norris started his F1 career with McLaren back in 2019 and has managed to deliver on most occasions to the best he could within the capabilities of the car. His team boss Andreas Seidl is certainly impressed with the Briton.

The 22-year-old has often been compared to the likes of seven-time world champions Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. While Seidl is happy with Norris, he admits that it is too early to compare him to the former world champions. The German said:

“It’s just too early to compare Lando [Norris] to a Lewis Hamilton or Michael Schumacher. But there is a reason why we have entered into a long-term contract with him. He has shown us with his progression and performance that he has something special. That was also true in Monaco. He delivers right away, that’s impressive. It’s also important for the team.”

Seidl went on to further praise Lando Norris, saying:

“We are currently in a fierce battle for P4 in the championship, where we are up against strong competitors. They also have fast cars and good drivers. In any case, I am very happy Lando is with us. He has potential and has shown a lot already. It is simply our job to give him a better car in the years to come.”

Comparing Norris' consistency to teammate Daniel Ricciardo's lack of performance since he joined the team back in 2021, Seidl added, saying:

“In this situation, the key is to keep going for it and analyse the data every weekend to help Daniel achieve his goal. He doesn’t feel comfortable in the car at the moment, especially when he has to push to the limit in qualifying. On top of that, he’s up against Lando. That’s the current situation. But Daniel is dedicated and experienced.”

Earlier this year, the Woking-based team announced a four-year contract extension for the Briton to keep him with the team until the end of the 2025 season, representing the faith both parties have placed in each other.

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Lando Norris is "destroying" Daniel Ricciardo, says Eddie Jordan

Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan claims that Lando Norris' significant upper hand in pace and performance over his teammate is mentally "destroying" eight-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo.

As reported by The Mirror, Jordan said:

“[Daniel] Ricciardo is letting the races go by and you rarely get a chance to get this back. Lando [Norris] is destroying him mentally, physically, and on the track and when you have that kind of scenario inside a team, it affects you. So you need to react immediately.”

Speculations regarding the Australian's future with McLaren has been on the rise, although reports suggest that it is only Ricciardo who has the power to terminate his contract early.