Norris hopes to see Ricciardo return to F1: 'Very talented and loved'

Oscar Piastri will have no easy task following in Daniel Ricciardo's footsteps. At least that is what his new team-mate Lando Norris thinks, stating that the 21-year-old Australian will have to meet high expectations to fill his compatriot's shoes.

Given Ricciardo's track record, Norris believes his new teammate faces quite a challenge if he wants to live up to expectations in his debut year. "He [Ricciardo] has achieved a lot in his career of Formula one and everyone rates him as extremely high or as one of the highest drivers on the grid in previous years," Norris explains to GPblog and other media.

Norris keen to see Ricciardo return

The 23-year-old Briton would love to see his former teammate return to the premier class. "I would love to see Daniel on the grid just because you know, he's a very talented driver. He's a guy that everyone loves for many reasons. He always makes races exciting and especially when he was with Red Bull in the past when he had a car which was capable of putting on a good show, then he was able to expose it and make the most of it," said the McLaren driver.

The combination of Norris and Ricciardo at McLaren initially seemed to be a dream team, but in real life things turned out differently. Ricciardo was mostly overshadowed by his younger teammate and couldn't find his feet in the McLaren car, which led to the Woking-based team terminating the contract early - and paying a hefty buyout fee in return. By showing Ricciardo the door, McLaren paved the way for Piastri, who will make his Grand Prix debut in F1 in 2023.