“Something I struggled with a lot” - how Ricciardo helped Norris

Ricciardo’s poor form last season meant he was axed by McLaren so Norris will team with rookie Oscar Piastri in the 2023 F1 driver line-up, the obvious senior driver tipped by many as a future star.

Behind-the-scenes of Ricciardo’s awful 2022 which eventually cost him his seat, he was still able to impart words of wisdom to Norris.

“I’ve been able to learn a hell of a lot from Daniel,” Norris told ESPN.

“His approach to racing, his mentality with it all, through the tough times. how he keeps so strong with it all, and has so much belief in himself.

“That is something I struggled with a lot with when I came into Formula 1. And something I’ve been able to learn a lot from him over the past couple of years.

“But even on the driving side - how he drives the car in many ways. You can see those instances of what’s made him so good.

“I try to take them on board. It’s not an easy thing to do, but the more I’ve been able to learn from him, the better I’ve become, and that’s only a good thing for me.”

Norris finished seventh in the F1 standings, four places and 85 points above Ricciardo.

He became the only driver outside of Mercedes, Red Bull or Ferrari to score a podium finish at Imola.

Still aged just 23, a decade younger than Ricciardo, Norris may look back on 2022 as the year he gained invaluable knowledge from a true veteran if he is able to eventually fulfil his immense promise in F1.