European Formula 3 champion Lando Norris believes he needs to win the F2 title at his first attempt in 2018, to prove he is as good as now F1 driver Charles Leclerc.
The young Briton is one of the biggest names in junior single-seater racing, flying up the ladder to a position wherein just the last 12 months he joined McLaren as part of their development program and now he’ll be their official third driver this year.
Alongside those duties, he will team up with Carlin as they return to the F2 grid after a year away and the 18-year-old has only one goal as he looks to maintain his status as a potential future F1 star.
“I expect to win it,” Norris said. “Leclerc’s done it, so if I want to beat him or prove I’m just as good, then I’m going to have to win. I think that’s the main thing, there’s any point going for second or third.”
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The young Briton got his first taste of F2 when he joined Campos for the final weekend of the season last year in Abu Dhabi, enduring a tricky debut with a retirement in the feature race and P13 in the sprint.
A new chassis and engine are being introduced into the series for 2018 and Norris admits, from his experience of the previous car, it is a significant step up from what he raced in European F3.
“It’s a lot more power from anything I’ve driven before, apart from the F1 car of course,” he explained.
“I think the tyres is one of the biggest things. With the Hankooks [in European F3] you could push 99 percent of the race, the Pirellis you can push for a couple of laps and then you’ve got to start saving. So it’s a big challenge.”