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Lando Norris recently joked around about his driving skills with Max Verstappen.
Norris made a surprise appearance on the podium of the 2022 F1 Imola GP after managing to get past Charles Leclerc in the closing stages of the race.
The Briton was very pleased with his performance, especially considering the woeful start the Woking-based team had in Bahrain's season opener.
When asked if McLaren had the third-fastest car on the grid in Sunday's race, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen engaged in some hilarious banter.
Verstappen joked that a driver must always downplay their car and show off their driving prowess.
Norris said sarcastically:
"Hmmm… I mean, if I want to be like George, I'll say I had like the seventh fastest car! Yeah, we’re ninth or tenth – but my driving this weekend has been pretty amazing!"
Things weren't all hunky-dory for McLaren, with Daniel Ricciardo finishing in last place after a lap 1 collision with Carlos Sainz. However, the team from Woking has certainly made tremendous progress over the past few weeks.
Lando Norris claims he had 'good confidence' in his car at the 2022 F1 Imola GP
Lando Norris claimed he wasn't sure whether his team provided him with the third or fourth-fastest car on the grid. However, the driver said he had good confidence in his car based on how it was set up for the weekend.
The 22-year-old stated that while the Mercedes cars weren't bad this weekend, McLaren's were faster overall. He continued:
"The Mercedes wasn't so bad this weekend. I think we were a little quicker than them, probably throughout. The Alfa Romeo was maybe quicker. He was off at the start, I think: quicker yesterday, maybe quicker today – just couldn't get past George."
"Doesn't really matter, we beat two cars who are probably a second a lap quicker than us: one ended up in the wall and one ended up in the gravel, so doesn't necessarily mean, if you have the third or fourth or fifth best car. I think we just executed a great race from our side. The car was good, and I had good confidence and that's all I needed".
Lando Norris is currently P6 in the drivers' standings, with Charles Leclerc leading Max Verstappen by 27 points. However, with McLaren's promising comeback arc, fans can look forward to a long season of epic performances from Norris.
