Lando Norris has said he felt as if he was in Carlos Sainz’s “shadow” when the pair raced for McLaren together.
Sainz performed well for McLaren but moved to Ferrari to replace Sebastian Vettel for the 2021 season. He ended up with more points than Charles Leclerc and Norris believes his former McLaren colleague could win the world title if given the right car.
“I think Carlos is one of the best Formula 1 drivers. It also made me not look so good because he’s an extremely good driver. He did a very good job,” said Norris, quoted by Motorsport-total.com.
“I think I was a bit in his shadow because he did a great job. More and more people are now realising what he’s capable of.”
Sainz was happy with his performance in his debut season for Ferrari and finished it with a podium at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He said: “I couldn’t have asked for more to be honest, especially the podium.
“The whole race today was just a matter of putting everything together, everything I’ve learned through the year, the way that I’ve progressed with a team in executing a good race.”
Norris signed a contract extension with his team in May, with Sainz replaced by Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren. Though the Australian is a skilled driver, Norris says he wasn’t threatened by his new teammate and ended the campaign with more points than the 32-year-old.
“I didn’t feel nervous when he came [to McLaren],” said Norris. “A lot of people thought maybe he was…because he has won several races.
“Everyone knows what Daniel is capable of because he has been in a car that has won races.”
