Lando Norris kickstarted his FIA Formula 1 World Championship career for McLaren F1 Team in Friday practice for this weekend’s 2019 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix – Albert Park.
The youngest driver in the field had experienced a day of learning, as this was a track he had no previous experience from in the lower single-seater categories.
The Brit was out-paced by his more illustrious team-mate Carlos Sainz by more than half a second in eighteenth in both sessions. Although, the 19-year old had suffered no reliability problems throughout the day.
Norris however remains spirited and hopes that Free Practice 3 and beyond can help him challenge in the midfield.
“We improved the car between sessions, and now have a direction in terms of where we go tomorrow on set-up and, importantly, have made progress. It’s all about making small steps forward,” Norris said.
“Getting used to this track for the first time was my main focus in Free Practice 1. It’s not an easy circuit, very bumpy and easy to lock-up. I was a lot more confident in Free Practice 2 and so looking ahead to Free Practice 3 I feel pretty comfortable.”
