Daniel Ricciardo has explained why McLaren have opted to run upgrades just on Lando Norris' car over the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. Norris was given the opportunity to test out the new parts during Friday's practice sessions, with Ricciardo not due to have the updates on his side of the garage until the next race in Japan. In regards to why this is the case, Ricciardo admits that the fact that Norris will still be with the team in 2023 – while he will not – had an influence over who was prioritised. "We'll both have it in Japan but, this weekend, it's just him," Ricciardo told media, including RacingNews365.com . "I guess the next question is, why him? A lot of it's development, in [terms of] direction [for] 2023, so it's pretty much that. "Obviously, he's here next year, I'm not, so for him to get another weekend to give the team feedback and obviously direction for next year, that's ultimately the reason."
Ricciardo not expecting McLaren exit to affect upgrade plan
Despite the fact that he will be leaving the Woking-based squad at the end of the season, Ricciardo does not believe that this will have an impact on his access to any remaining upgrades in the coming races. "This weekend, he gets the update but, as far as I know, [in] Japan, I'll have exactly the same as him," the Australian said. "Look, obviously, moving forward, maybe if there's one other... I think this is it now, this will be our last update. I would say, as of Japan, we'll have the same. I foresee us having the same stuff until the end of the year. "Again, if there is maybe one part with a view of '23, I'll probably assume he gets it, but I think this weekend is probably the only one where there'll be that difference."
Norris gives verdict on car updates
In terms of how the updates performed, Norris shared some positive words after Friday's practice sessions at the Marina Bay Circuit. "Tough day, just because of the temperature and the challenges of Singapore, but I think good that we’ve got a good understanding of the new bits on the car," Norris said. "They’re performing as expected, which is in some ways similar to the way the car felt before the update, with just some small tweaks in the way that it works, and acts, which is what we want. "The pace is not looking like it’s there at the minute, we’ve got a lot to find if we want to get into Q3 tomorrow, more than normal, but we'll give it a good shot, work hard overnight and see what we can unlock."
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