Norris disagrees with Russell: "Mercedes and probably Red Bull"

McLaren and Ferrari scored high marks during the test days in Barcelona. Both teams seemed to be in good shape, but experience shows that it is pointless to draw conclusions from the winter test. Yet that is already being done in abundance by, among others, Mercedes driver George Russell, who claims that his team is trailing Ferrari and McLaren. Lando Norris disagrees.

For Mercedes it seems to have become something of a tradition: every year they point at other teams who are supposedly stronger, after which the opposite is usually shown at the start of the season. Only Red Bull Racing managed to surprise when the team started in Bahrain in 2021.

Norris contradicts Russell

This time it is the turn of McLaren and Ferrari. After Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton, newcomer Russell is already participating fully in the speculation of Mercedes: according to him, both teams currently have an advantage over Mercedes.

Norris can't quite agree with those statements. "George was at the top of the timesheets, so if he thinks we are strong, we’re going to think he’s strong," he explained to Express. The McLaren driver sees that his team is on the right track, but doesn't expect them to compete at the top right away.

"I think if there’s any team on the grid right now that you expect to be at the front when it matters it’s going to be Mercedes and probably Red Bull," concluded the 22-year-old Brit. He is convinced that when it comes down to it, not much will change in the pecking order for now.