F1 | Lando Norris looks ahead to the 2021 F1 season
The British driver was interviewed by McLaren on his feelings for the upcoming season, the new car and his future teammate.
Lando Norris is back. 2021 will be pretty different for the 21-year-old, as he will be no longer the youngest driver on grid and the team will switch back to Mercedes power units after the 3-years partnership with Renault.
The British driver, approaching his third year in F1, and during a visit to the McLaren headquarters ahead of his seat fit, released a short interview to McLaren’s website on what’s he looking forward in the next season. Norris’s first thought went to his team, both on and off track and to those who are remote working. He wants to be helpful as much as he can to them.
He also mentioned his new car, the MCL35M, and said that he has already tried to drive it in the simulator. The car will be launched on the 15th of February and, while the majority of the teams will carry over most of the other years ‘work into the new model, will be rather new, due to the significant changes to the structure of the vehicle that had to be made to adapt it to the new power unit.
McLaren F1 production Director Piers Thynne stated that the number of new parts used for this year’s car is about the same as the ones used for last years’MCL35, with major changes involving the back of the chassis and the gearbox bell housing around the engine, as well as the architecture of the car itself, the cooling layout and the electrical harnessing.
Another reason to be excited for, Norris reckons, is meeting his new teammate. After sharing the past two seasons with former Renault and Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz Jr, who will race for Ferrari in the next season, the British will line up with former Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo. He expressed admiration for the vast experience of his new colleague, who has been in F1 for ten years and is a seven times race winner.
Norris talked about the “mystery” factor ingrained in F1: “I love the feeling of going into the unknown. That is part of what makes F1 so special. No two seasons are the same.”
Another covered topic was the season’s calendar, with both new tracks and others who weren’t included in last season’s championship due to Covid-related issues. Norris expressed interest in the latter, citing the USA, Japan and Singapore, and hope for a gradual return of the fans to the circuits.
The 2017 F3 champion also mentioned his love for the “creative” side of his job, and said he is looking forward to collaborate with designers to realise one-off helmets design, to be used during the season.
