"There’s always a lot of responsibility" - Lando Norris on becoming McLaren's 'old guy' following Oscar Piastri's arrival

For the first time in his F1 career, Lando Norris will team up with a driver who is less experienced than him, with 2021 Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri replacing Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren. Norris claimed that while he believes that there is a certain level of responsibility, he is not too nervous about having some fresh energy in the team.

When talking about the pressures and responsibilities of being the more experienced driver in the team, Norris told Sky F1:

“I think there’s always a lot of responsibility, no matter what period of time you’re in. I guess being a slightly more experienced driver then there is that little extra bit where you can refer back to previous years or previous cars and know what the weaknesses and strengths of your cars are and things like that.”

“I don’t know Oscar that well, we’ve spoken every now and then a couple of times and I welcomed him into the team and so on, I don’t even know what his driving style is... So I wouldn’t say it makes me any more nervous or anything.”

Being the "old guy" on the team isn't exactly appealing to Norris, who was asked if he liked the tag. He said:

"Probably not. I think it’s going to be the first time I’ll be the oldest in my team. I’ve always been racing people older than me, so this will be the first time I’m the old guy."

Lando Norris made his F1 debut back in 2019 and partnered with Carlos Sainz for two years before the Spaniard moved to Ferrari and was replaced by eight-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo.

While Sainz outperformed Norris in both seasons with the Woking-based team, the 23-year-old managed to have the upper hand against Ricciardo in both 2021 and 2022.

Lando Norris claimed he wants "nothing more" than to stay with McLaren

Lando Norris made his F1 debut with McLaren and has driven for the team throughout his career. With the team, the Briton has grown and proven he has the potential to win championships, if given the right car.

He claims to be absolutely committed to McLaren, although the goal remains to have a car that can fight for race wins and eventually championships.

As reported by The Race, when asked if he would stay with McLaren for the rest of his F1 career, Lando Norris said:

“It depends. If we get to a point where we’re competitive and we’re winning races and so on, then I see absolutely no reason why not. And at the moment there’s nothing more I would love than to stay here, stay with McLaren, and keep progressing and keep improving to try and achieve that. I’m happy to spend some years doing so. But yeah, at the same time I do want to win races, and go for championships and stuff.”

McLaren announced earlier this year that Lando Norris will be staying with the team until the end of the 2025 season, reflecting his strong commitment towards the team.