Norris more fearful of Sainz than Ricciardo: 'You don't know what he's capable of'

Lando Norris is confident enough to admit that Carlos Sainz is one of the best drivers on the grid. The Spaniard was his teammate for two years and during that time the Briton felt overshadowed.

Sainz best F1 driver

Sainz made a big impression by beating his teammate, the formidable Charles Leclerc, in his first season at Ferrari in 2021. Leclerc was brought to Ferrari with great fanfare and committed for five years, but still proved just no match for Sainz in this year. The team should be happy that they did not fight for podiums often in 2021, as that could have led to a difficult situation within the team. The rivalry between Sebastian Vettel and Leclerc showed more often that Ferrari can't cope with that.

McLaren driver Norris also noted that Sainz is a driver to be reckoned with in the seasons they drove together for McLaren. Looking back with Autosport.com on his still short F1 career says he liked his second year in F1, all the more so because Sainz is, in his opinion, one of the best drivers in Formula 1. Norris points out that the good results and good race work of Sainz often meant that he seemed not so good himself.

More fear than for Ricciardo

The Brit also gives himself a pat on the back by saying he has improved this year. Norris believes he has come up to par or even passed Sainz. In doing so, the McLaren driver insinuates that he is one of the best F1 drivers himself.

Currently, Norris is driving alongside Daniel Ricciardo. This multiple race winner scares him less than Sainz. After all, everyone knows what Ricciardo can do, according to Norris. Of course, Norris looks up to his teammate, but he was supposedly better prepared. The Brit thinks that Sainz, on the other hand, is difficult to assess, because people have never been able to see during his time at Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren what he is capable of.