Lando Norris has admitted that he was never quite sure how his McLaren would behave on a race weekend, something that he believes has helped him evolve as a Formula 1 driver.
Despite a disappointing beginning to the season, the MCL60 received a series of significant upgrades that propelled it to the forefront of the grid.
Norris and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, went from struggling at the back to consistently competing for podium finishes almost overnight.
This might lead fans to believe that Norris and Piastri would be thrilled to step into their cockpit for every grand prix.
However, the British driver has recently disclosed that he was always uncertain about the challenges he would face once he got behind the wheel.
Norris not comfortable with McLaren
“I still don’t feel completely at ease every weekend when I think about how the car will perform. Sometimes it surprises me and doesn’t live up to my expectations,” he shared with Motorsport.com.
“Because of that, I have to adjust my driving style and approach. It’s like a constant learning process.”
“People tend to judge Formula 1 too quickly. If a driver has two successful weekends in a row, they’re praised and considered to be ‘back’. But then the following weekend, everything can change and they’re back to square one.”
“I believe I’ve had some great races here and there, but when I look at the entire season, I’ve been consistently delivering on Sundays.”
Regardless of the circumstances, whether it was scorching hot or freezing cold, whether the car performed exceptionally well or faced some difficulties, whether the set-up was to my liking or not, and whether I started at the front or the back of the pack – I always managed to make the best out of any situation I found myself in.
And I believe that’s the aspect I’ve enhanced the most this year. I’ve become even better at adapting to various scenarios and different conditions that constantly test and push me.
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