Norris: Ricciardo battle a good chance to compare myself to race winner

The Australian arrived at the Woking outfit during the off-season and will partner Norris during McLaren's first season with Mercedes engines since 2014.

McLaren had an excellent 2020 campaign as they finished third in the constructors' championship, their highest finish since 2012.

However, they will face a new set of challenges this season, as they integrate their new power-unit while competing with rebadged rivals Alpine and Aston Martin, as well as a determined Ferrari.

Looking ahead, Norris feels that Ricciardo will provide a "different perspective" and a knowledge of what a team needs in order to win races.

"It's going to be very good," he told Autosport. "[Ricciardo] is going to give a different perspective on a lot of things.

"I'm sure some comments are going to be similar to Carlos, because Carlos drove the Renault, and probably a lot of characteristics are similar.

"A lot of things Carlos talked about sometimes were when he drove a Renault, things were like this, and the team acted like this and different circumstances. A lot of knowledge that drivers have, and something that I learned from Carlos, is knowledge of how he worked with other teams.

"With Daniel, working with Red Bull a bit more and knowing how to win races and how a team wins races and the car he needs for that. I think that's something Carlos doesn't have.

"That'll be very good for when Daniel comes in, giving those fresh ideas and helping the team move forward. I think it's very good."

On a personal level, Norris competed well with Sainz during their two seasons together but came up short in terms of championship points during both campaigns.

With Ricciardo arriving, the teammate battle will not get any easier for the 21-year-old, but Norris said he is looking forward to comparing himself to a "race winner".

"It's nice for me to work with someone different and learn some things," he added.

"But also to go up against a driver who has won races and people say is one of the best on the grid, it's a good chance for me to compare myself against him, and just work with him as a race winner."