Lando Norris unveils how data from ex-teammates Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz led to his “best F1 season” yet

McLaren ace Lando Norris considers his 2023 campaign the "best year" of his F1 career and recently shed light on how digging through data helped him make progress.

Norris made his F1 debut with McLaren in 2019 and was paired alongside Carlos Sainz for two seasons. He joined forces with Daniel Ricciardo the following two seasons before teaming up with rookie Oscar Piastri in 2023.

Norris capped off his 2023 season with a career-best seven podiums. He finished sixth in the driver's standings, scoring 205 points, one shy of Fernando Alonso's fourth place.

Speaking to motorsport.com, the 24-year-old revealed how spending more time in the simulator and comparative analysis with his past teammates helped him improve his game.

“I’m not going to say the secrets of it or whatever, just a lot of simulator is probably one of the biggest things,” Norris said of the work behind the scenes.

“But also time [spent] on looking into the data against me and Daniel, me and Oscar, even me and Carlos. We went back that far to kind of understand what I was doing good and bad then, what he was doing good and bad then, and same for Daniel and same for Oscar now. Just work, basically."

“I think it’s been my best year,” he added.

Following his sophomore season at McLaren, Lando Norris took a big step forward in 2021, racking up four podium results and coming perilously close to winning his maiden race on multiple occasions.

Although his win drought extends to date, his consistency and adaptability have improved over the years. Lando Norris believes the same as he reckons he made the most of whatever situation he and the team were in during 2023.

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Former F1 driver advises Lando Norris against joining Red Bull

Lando Norris continues to be the hottest property in the driver market despite his current contract with McLaren running through the 2025 F1 season. Rumors regarding the Brit joining Red Bull or Ferrari frequently stir up debates about his future in the sport.

Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert suggests that Norris shouldn't take the risk of joining Red Bull given McLaren's resurgence.

“I think if we do it just from a driver’s perspective, you’re always going to try and work out what’s going to benefit you,” Herbert told The Express. “Now is the risk of him going to Red Bull worth it in the situation that he finds himself?"

“McLaren [are] doing really, really well… McLaren love having him in the team. He delivers when the car is working properly… Is it worth the risk? Personally no, I don’t think it is worth the risk.”

With McLaren finally in the mix with the front runners, Norris' loyalty to the Woking-based outfit is paying dividends. Herbert reckons the 24-year-old is in a very good position at McLaren.

“We’re going to have to wait and see obviously, but I don’t see why he’d want to make his life that little bit more difficult when he actually is in a very good position that he’s got at the moment.”