Echoing Zak Brown's claim that he expected more of him, Lando Norris admits that he has no sympathy for teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

Once again, the Drive to Survive team have been gifted an almost perfect storyline. Having previously created an artificial picture of Lando Norris and (then) teammate Carlos Sainz, implying that there was bad blood between the pair, the Briton's comments today following the news that Ricciardo has been dropped by the team look likely to create a genuine rift within the Woking outfit.

Understandably, following the summer break, the media was keen to get the lowdown on a number of stories that broke over the summer, not least the much-anticipated dropping of the Australian with a year still remaining on his contract.

Asked about the team's decision, Norris echoed team boss Zak Brown.

"I guess I'm surprised, because when Daniel came into the team everyone expected more," he said. "I'm sure himself even, he expected more from himself. When you look at it that way, yeah I'm surprised.

"It's not me having a dig or anything," he continued, "but when you look at the results... if you want two people to be at the same level then you're not surprised. It's hard to know when to call it, I guess, which is what they've done."

Asked if he sympathised with his teammate's plight, the answer was brief and direct.

"I hate to say it, but I would say no. People will probably hate me for saying it, but it's difficult because I never know if I might encounter that in the future with this car or with a different team or whatever, so I never want to contradict myself going into the future, but I've just got to focus on my driving.

"It's not my job to focus on someone else," he continued, "and I'm not a driver coach, I'm not here to help and do those kind of things. I'm here to perform at my absolute best and that's about it. So it's difficult when people start to have an expectation that it's my job to also do these other things and helping and describing this and doing that when that's not really the case.

"It's also the case that if I don't perform well for a few years then it can also be the end of my career, the end of me driving in Formula One, so I've got to focus on myself for the majority of it.

"Every driver has to adapt to the scenarios that they're in and that's what I feel like I've had to do. It's not a car that I've just been able to jump in and feel like I can just flow with and perform exactly like I want. At the beginning of the year Daniel was performing better than I was, in the pre-season tests and stuff, and it looked like he could just go out naturally and drive the car how he wanted to, and I had to start to learn a new way of driving compared to how I'd been used to driving the car for the last few years.

"So I feel like I've had to do a job of adapting and so has he, but I don't feel like for any driver you would have to have sympathy for them because they have not been able to do as good of a job."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 27/08/2022 10:08

"Maybe Norris sees himself as the new Christian Horner, when it comes to providing “Drive To Survive”-friendly sound bites? "

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2. Posted by stackvideo, 26/08/2022 23:31

"Sorry Lando but my opinion of you just went the the back of the grid."

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3. Posted by ClarkwasGod, 26/08/2022 19:55

"In fact, the more I think about it, the less I like it. As others have stated, comments like this will quite likely come back to slap Norris in the kisser. It's one thing to be single-minded - you need that to succeed at the level they are all at, but there are times when it's better to decline to express an opinion - 2 golden rules come to mind - "Engage brain before opening mouth" & "Better to be thought a dick, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt" Norris would so well to follow those. Maybe his helmet supplier has had to provide new, XXL, versions."

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4. Posted by ClarkwasGod, 26/08/2022 14:36

"Might have been better to leave that sort of comment till the season's end."

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5. Posted by Spindoctor, 26/08/2022 9:23

"
"...And youth is cruel, and has no remorse
And smiles at situations which it cannot see.""

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6. Posted by Greg, 26/08/2022 6:35

"Nothing like good team mates. "

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7. Posted by Max Noble, 26/08/2022 3:04

"Best to take a cut and paste of this, so in a decade’s time when Lando is being buried by a fresh young new driver he can be reminded that we have no need to feel sorry for him. While it is mostly an accurate observation, it is clearly lacking in compassion, and tact.
"

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8. Posted by Simon in Adelaide, 26/08/2022 0:58

"Good, Lando is demonstrating that he does have the bloody-mindedness to become a champion as Champions have demonstrated throughout the years.

"

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9. Posted by Chester, 26/08/2022 0:05

"What goes around comes around, my dear boy. And I emphasize boy. I simply cannot wait until it comes for you, Lando. "

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10. Posted by Superbird70, 25/08/2022 22:29

"It looks like he is sending a message to whomever his next team mate is to be."

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11. Posted by Tom2681, 25/08/2022 22:25

"No sympathy? I guess Ricciardo will have to console himself with his winner's trophy."

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12. Posted by ChickenFarmerF1, 25/08/2022 21:44

"Bit of a knife twist there Lando!

Everything he said is correct and true. Doesn't mean it had to be verbalized. One of my kids is very pedantic and legalistic. We have stressed with all of them that being truthful is the most important value. What he needs to also learn is that not every true thing needs to actually be said. Discretion, aka keeping your observations to your own dang self, is a critical life skill. One that Mr. Norris is apparently still developing."

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13. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 25/08/2022 21:25

"He could have just said something along the lines of: “It’s a shame for everyone that it didn’t work out”.

But no doubt Liberty will be delighted as his comments will fan the flames in the Twittersphere…"

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Norris has no sympathy for teammate Ricciardo

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