Lando Norris has emphasised the cut-throat nature of Formula One by expressing his lack of sympathy for McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo.
The Australian racer will leave the team at the end of the season after having his contract terminated early following a string of subpar performances, something Norris does not feel sorry for.
“I don't feel like you have to have sympathy for any driver because they've not been able to do as good a job,” he told reporters ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix. “People will probably hate me for saying it.
“I've just got to focus on my driving and my job. It's not my job to focus on someone else. 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 start doing these other things and helping and describing this and doing that. When that's not really the case.
“And it's also the case that if I don't perform well for a few years that it can also be the end of my career and the end of me driving in Formula One.”
Some fans have questioned whether Ricciardo’s lack of pace was down to the McLaren car being designed to suit Norris’ driving style, something the Brit strongly denies.
“The only thing that people get extremely wrong is, any opinion, thinking the car's designed around me or suiting me more than it is him,” the 22-year-old added.
“If I could choose an exact driving style for me to have and for a car to suit, this car doesn't give me anything of what I want to do. And therefore the job as a driver is to adapt to that and just do the best you can with the car, which is what I'm doing and maybe easier for me to do than it is for Daniel."
