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Despite Strategic Failures, Lando Norris Idolizes Ferrari in His Pursuit to Be World Champion

Published 01/22/2023, 1:45 PM EST

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via Reuters

The most anticipated season in Formula 1, which will span 23 races over roughly ten months, is slowly approaching. The teams are simply enjoying the off-season, but Lando Norris of Mclaren, who is among the younger drivers, appears to have made up his mind that he wants to win the world championship this time around. Despite being aware of Ferrari’s questionable strategy from previous seasons, he idolized the Italian team instead.

The last two Formula 1 season have helped Lando Norris to demonstrate his mettle. After competing at the junior ranks, the British driver entered Formula 1 by committing to Mclaren for the long term. And now it appears that his confidence has reached a sky-high level after he eclipsed the veteran Daniel Ricciardo, in both seasons. Although McLaren failed to win at the start of the second-ground effects F1 era last year, Lando Norris was the only McLaren driver to finish on the podium in the Home Emilia Romagna GP. After a difficult battle with the French team, the team dropped below the Alpine to fifth place in 2022, down from third in the constructor’s championship in 2020.

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According to Norris, his team must emulate the period of redemption of one of the greatest teams in Formula 1 history, Ferrari. While exclusively speaking to Autosport, Norris said, “That’s achievable. I think what they did was extremely good. Going from where they were [in 2021], from almost getting beat by us, to going to where they are getting wins, fighting for podiums every single weekend. That’s what we need to be aiming for. That level of a jump from one season to another. They’ve obviously had, not the luck, but they’ve maximised a new era, a new rules set for Formula 1 with new cars, which has allowed them to make a bigger jump than ever.”

Despite being aware that Ferrari’s approach has played a significant part in their failure to win the championship in 2022, Norris has chosen to idolize the Maranello. Throughout the campaign, the team’s strategies were questioned.

Since Lewis Hamilton‘s 2008 Drivers’ title, McLaren hasn’t seen championship success. The team won the last Constructors’ championship in 1998, but Mika Hakkinen did win the Drivers’ title in 1999. However, now the team’s assumable leader Lando Norris urged the team to take some steps in 2023.

Lando Norris optimistic about Mclaren’s growth in 2023

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Daniel Ricciardo’s victory in Monza in 2021 is the lone victory for the Woking team since 2012, although they are improving their infrastructure at the McLaren Technology Centre to compete with Mercedes and Red Bull. Norris, who will begin his fifth season in Formula One in 2023 and take on leadership duties for the McLaren team, is eager to claim his first F1 victory and has urged McLaren to make a change in 2023 after a challenging season for the organization.

USA Today via Reuters

Oscar Piastri, who will replace Daniel Ricciardo on the team in 2023, will join Norris as a new teammate. The Briton is optimistic about the effort that McLaren is doing to get better in time for the upcoming season, Talking to racing news 365 he said, ” Everyone’s working hard now. Everyone knows that, it’s not like it’s a new thing. We know we’ve had a very tough season, we found it difficult. We need to take a step next year. We have to take a step, and it seems like everyone’s putting in the effort to do so, so time will tell.”

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WATCH THIS STORY: Red Bull and McLaren Quarrel Over 2022 F1 Cars

The 23-year-old placed seventh in the driver’s standing overall this year. The McLaren supporters have been waiting eagerly for their team to climb the success ladder for a very long time. Having said that, do you think that the team made the right decision in cutting connections with the experienced Daniel Ricciardo and bringing in a rookie driver for their future endeavors?

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Written by:

Aditya Srivastava

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Aditya Srivastava is an F1 Author at EssentiallySports. Although he has completed his undergrad in History, due to his passion for the field, he couldn't hold himself back from entering the world of Sports Journalism. Being a huge fan of Formula 1, Aditya has taken up multiple internships and freelancing gigs where he got to pen down his thoughts about the most prestigious form of motor racing in the world.
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Edited by:

Ajinkya Aswale