In a recent interview, McLaren driver Lando Norris revealed that he would beat Lewis Hamilton if they were teammates.
The scenario of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris racing together as teammates seem highly unlikely as George Russell has signed a multi-year deal with the Mercedes F1 team.
On top of that, McLaren’s Lando Norris also has a multi-year deal with the Woking-based team. But answering fan questions in a video for the GQ magazine, the young Briton claimed that he would beat Hamilton if they drove the same machine.
FINAL LAP: Onboard with @LandoNorris as he closes the gap to Lewis Hamilton by 0.7s
Enough to secure his first ever F1 podium finish and the DHL Fastest Lap Award in Austria 🚀 🏆#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 #F1 @DHL_Motorsports pic.twitter.com/PqkKmXed5R
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 5, 2020
When asked, Norris said that it is a tough question but he has to say yes. The 22-year-old admitted that it would not be easy given Hamilton is one of the greatest drivers ever.
However, if any driver wants to do well in the sport, they have to believe that they are better than the rest.
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Lewis Hamilton was left impressed by Lando Norris
At the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix, Norris outperformed Hamilton and finished P3 after holding the dominating Mercedes for around 20 laps.
Hamilton praised the young compatriot for his impressive driving on the team radio and said, “Such a great driver, Lando.”
During the race at the Red Bull Ring, Hamilton’s rough driving got him into a bit of aerodynamic trouble which lost him over half a second per lap. Norris capitalised on the opportunity to add one more podium to his campaign pushing Hamilton down to P4 in the GP.
Also Read: 23 race winner Nico Rosberg still angry with Lewis Hamilton for pushing him off track at US GP
What’s next for Lewis Hamilton?
Hamilton’s 2022 campaign has been a quite disappointing one for both the team and the 7-time world champion. The W13 that the team designed following the new technical regulations did not turn out to be competitive and has thus ended the team’s domination in the sport.
Currently, Hamilton stands at P6 with 180 points in his bag while his teammate Russell stands at P4 with 207 points. Meanwhile, his last year’s rival Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has secured the second title of his career at the Japanese GP.
Mercedes is expected to bring their last upgrade of the 2022 season at the upcoming race weekend in Austin. After that, the team will shift its focus to the development of the next year’s car.
While the team has figured out the problem with this year’s car, team principal Toto Wolff said that he is not 100% confident that the team will be able to battle for the 2023 title.
Also Read: Toto Wolff is not “100 per cent confident” if Mercedes can challenge for 2023 F1 title
