Lando Norris doesn’t feel any additional pressure to perform or risk a similar demise as Stoffel Vandoorne did at McLaren this season.
The young Briton has continually impressed the Woking outfit after first driving one of their cars in 2017 and now has the opportunity to prove himself against the best in Formula 1.
His chance, however, came at the expense of Vandoorne who won everything in the junior categories but failed to deliver during his two years on the grid.
“It’s hard for me to say what it was about and why he couldn’t get his maximum performance,” Norris told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.
“I just focus on myself. If [teammate] Carlos [Sainz] beats me in the first race, I will analyse exactly where he was stronger.
“I have a whole season to learn and adapt. I’m not worried right now.”
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One reason many believe Vandoorne failed was the problems McLaren themselves were facing first with Honda and then another difficult year with Renault last season.
Efforts now are underway to address that, however, and Norris admits the atmosphere is much different now.
“You can feel what’s going on,” he added. “I’ve been in the factory and have met a lot of people, and I think the foundation is right now.
“Everyone has confidence in each other and knows how to improve the car now.
“I know that’s what we said last year, but we’ve put a lot of work into understanding the car since then to identify the causes of the problems.
“At the same time, it will not be a simple solution overnight,” the 19-year-old conceded. “We certainly will not win races this year.”