Lando Norris sets the record straight on his relationship with Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren

"We were very competitive, we wanted to beat each other, so maybe that was the vibe that was given off. But we always worked together very well as a team," Norris said.

Speaking at the launch of McLaren's 2023 F1 car, the MCL60, Norris added that he and his new teammate, Oscar Piastri, can work well together and push each other towards their shared goal of winning races and becoming champions.

"We understand that we can't do that [at] this current time. We don't have what we need, we don't have the machinery to do so. So, until then, we'll work well together and push ourselves and each other to get closer to the target," he said.

Norris, who is now joined by his third teammate in F1, said that he and Piastri have only worked together a handful of times so far, but he sees no reason why they can't continue McLaren's reputation as a very good team. "He's a lovely guy, very hard worker," Norris said.

In contrast to his close friendship with former teammate Carlos Sainz, Norris said that the level of respect he and Sainz had for each other was higher than what most people see between drivers in Formula 1.

However, he insisted that any notions of him not getting on well with Ricciardo are completely incorrect.

"We were good friends, we had a lot of good laughs and so on," Norris said. "Me and Carlos still get along very well. I think everyone had a bit of a perception that me and Daniel didn't, although that was completely incorrect."