Norris jokes: 'If one of us is faster it's because of the car. That's our excuse!'

F1 News

18 January 2021 at 19:54
  • GPblog.com

Although the two drivers will no longer be teammates from next season onward, Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris will surely be friends for life. In an interview, Norris analysed his driving style compared to Sainz, who will represent the Scuderia next season.

Norris begins, as quoted by the-race.com: “We have different driving styles so sometimes a track or certain corners suits Carlos much better and sometimes they suit me much better. Sometimes, one of us is more in a rhythm or much happier with how the car is and even when it’s not the perfect car, we’re still happy.”

Despite having a different driving style, according to Norris, the two often have a pace that is close to the other's. Norris jokes: “Carlos and myself were very close on pace. When one of us is much ahead, sometimes it’s because they’ve done a very good job and they’ve nailed the lap. But more often than not, it’s because one of us is struggling with the set-up or the confidence in the car. That’s our excuse!”

Struggles with the car

Norris also states that he and Sainz both deal with the moments when the car is less than cooperative in a similar way. Norris: “There’s certain things that I need from the car. When I don’t, I struggle a bit. It’s the same for Carlos. When one of us is off the pace or generally struggling or looking like they’re not in a good rhythm, it’s because there’s some certain things on the car or way the car is set-up that’s just not giving that driver that confidence to be able to lean on it. I think that’s what I suffered with a little bit in the middle of last season, it was from some of the upgrades, the newer parts that we had.”