Lando Norris’ joke 2023 McLaren change amid George Russell ‘jealousy’

F1: Lando Norris says he didn’t think he’d make podium

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After dropping down a position in the Formula 1 standings this year, Lando Norris jested he’d be “changing to No. 7” in 2023 as a reference to his ‘best-of-the-rest’ fortunes. The McLaren star was the only driver outside F1’s ‘big three’ teams to record a podium finish in 2022 after he took third place at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix back in April.

That’s a sign of the ‘closed shop’ custom that’s taken over the sport in recent years, though new drivers will inevitably rise to the fore for the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. George Russell is evidence of that succession after the former Williams prospect clinched his maiden race victory in Sao Paulo towards the end of this year.

It would be only natural for fellow Briton Norris to harbour some jealousy at that achievement, along with the pride he feels at seeing his friend and compatriot succeed. Prior to Russell replacing Valtteri Bottas at Brackley at the end of 2021, he himself was among the names touted to become Lewis Hamilton’s latest partner.

One could argue Norris showed glimpses of that envy after qualifying seventh at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November, when he told Sky Sports it “would have been pretty good” if he could have caught one of the Silver Arrows. “It wasn’t far away,” he remarked at the time with a grin on his face. “Two-tenths, I think, to George. But I wouldn’t say there was two-tenths in it.”

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The 23-year-old jokingly rolled his eyes as Russell joined the interview at Yas Marina, ‘welcoming’ his countryman with a sigh: “Here he is, race winner.” Norris smiled as he admitted he was “of course” jealous of Russell’s breakthrough win in Brazil: “He won a race; I didn’t.”

McLaren took a backwards step across the board compared to 2021 when Norris and then-team-mate Daniel Ricciardo placed sixth and eighth, respectively. The latter even managed to record a race victory at Monza that season, giving Norris hope he does possess the means to join that illustrious club of winners himself in the not-too-distant future.

The 2023 season comes with new prospects in particular for McLaren after Oscar Piastri replaced Ricciardo. The up-and-comer’s arrival has created a buzz of expectation for the Woking-based outfit, although the 118-point gap between seventh-place finisher Norris and Mercedes star Hamilton one above is a mighty void to bridge.

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Former F1 driver-turned-commentator Jolyon Palmer, for one, has high hopes for Norris in 2023 after a “stellar season,” in which he “barely put a foot wrong” to outrank all other also-rans. “The gap between the best and the rest was bigger than anticipated in 2022, something I hope will close up from next season to give more of the midfielders opportunities,” he wrote for Formula1.com.

“Out-qualified only once by the departing Daniel Ricciardo, it seemed Norris took his performance to another level, even if the standout moments weren’t as exceptional as last year. With a long-term contract in place, he’ll be hoping for a leap in performance from his team next season. If that comes, I expect Norris to be knocking on the door of that maiden race win once again.”

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