Lando Norris says watching Mercedes struggle so far in 2022 has been “nice to see”.
Though the Brackley-based team currently sits second in the Constructors’ standings, that position somewhat flatters them due to reliability issues others have faced, particularly Red Bull.
In fact, on pace alone, Mercedes has only just been the third-best team on the grid with teams like Alpine, Alfa Romeo, Haas and McLaren all nibbling at their heels.
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And Norris welcomes seeing Formula 1’s dominant force of the past eight years suddenly have to play catch up.
“In a way, it is nice to see that Mercedes don’t always have success,” he said via the Daily Mail.
“It shows that even when you have had that success, you can still get things wrong. It is easy to get things wrong.
“Much as I hate to say it, it is also good to see Ferrari up there [at the front]. It is reassuring for other teams to know it is still possible. If it were just Mercedes and Red Bull again, it would be so predictable.”
Along with Mercedes, it is also the first time Lewis Hamilton hasn’t been fighting for victory race in and race out since he joined the team in 2013.
And Norris believes that will also trigger the seven-time world champion to change his approach as he battles against more drivers.
“With Lewis, you are seeing the challenge of one of the best drivers competing in a car that is not the best,” he said. “We will see a different side of Lewis, compared to the last decade.
“I don’t think you can say it (his success) is all about the car, rather than Lewis’ ability. He has still been against very good drivers, such as Fernando [Alonso] in his first year, and then went on to achieve what everyone expected of him.
“I just don’t believe in the last few years he has had quite the challenge that he could have had, or maybe that he had against [Nico] Rosberg.
“Perhaps we will see that against George [Russell]. I don’t think anything takes away the driver he is.”