Norris grateful: 'Probably one of my best mates within the paddock'

Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz were teammates at McLaren in 2019 and 2020. The arrival of Daniel Ricciardo changed things at McLaren last year, but the Briton explains to Motorsportweek.com that he also gets along well with the Australian.

Norris is talking about two completely different situations. In 2019, when he and Sainz experienced their first season at McLaren, both drivers were still relatively young. It provided Norris and Sainz with a bond based on equality.

This was completely different when Ricciardo came to McLaren to join the team. The former teammate of Max Verstappen brought many qualities with his experience at Red Bull Racing, allowing Ricciardo to take more of a lead at the team.

Norris compares the situation with Ricciardo and Sainz

According to Norris, however, it is not true that they do not get along. "A little bit of the competition side of it, Daniel being experienced, me being still a relatively new guy," Norris explained. "People just wanted to try and bash our heads together and try and make it look like it really wasn’t anything great."

However, the McLaren driver admits he has a different bond with Sainz, who has now been at Ferrari for two years. "I still get on really well with Carlos, he’s probably one of my best mates within the paddock."