Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton shared some enthralling battles over the course of the 2023 season. The two most intriguing battles between them this year arguably took place at Silverstone and at Austin. Although Norris left no stone unturned in battling Hamilton on the race track, he did feel strange to race his idol. In a recent interview, the 24-year-old McLaren driver explained how Hamilton at 38 is continuing to perform well despite now being “an old guy“.
When asked in an interview about how it felt to battle Hamilton in 2023, Norris replied, “He’s doing well for an old guy now. So, yes it is amazing. Lewis was a guy who I watched on TV, growing up. He was a guy I looked at and I admired and now I am racing against him. It does feel weird but I have a lot of respect for Lewis“.
Both Norris and Hamilton performed extremely well considering the pace of their cars. Despite languishing at the back of the grid at the start of 2023, Norris managed to finish the championship in sixth with 205 points and grabbed a total of seven podiums.
On the other hand, Hamilton finished a fantastic third with 234 points. At one stage, it also seemed that the Mercedes driver could split the two Red Bull drivers in the championship by grabbing second place from Sergio Perez.
However, the Mexican did more than enough by the end as he finished 51 points clear of the seven-time world champion. Since both Norris and Hamilton failed to fight the two Red Bull drivers for the championship this season, they will hope that their teams can improve their cars for the 2024 campaign.
Can Lando Norris or Lewis Hamilton fight for the title in 2024?
The 2023 season was completely one-sided as Red Bull registered a record 21 wins from the 22 races. Newly crowned three-time champion Max Verstappen won 19 of them, while Sergio Perez won the other two. Since the team from Milton Keynes were so dominant, the onus is now on their rivals to catch up.
Lewis Hamilton is optimistic that his Mercedes side are doing everything in their potential to improve the W15. After having a look at the W15 in the wind tunnel, the 38-year-old explained (as quoted by motorsport.com) about how he has full faith in his team that they will produce a car that is “more competitive” for the upcoming campaign.
Similarly, Lando Norris is also optimistic about McLaren’s chances heading into 2024. While speaking in an interview (as quoted by Formula Passion), the 24-year-old explained how this season was his best in F1.
He now hopes to build on the same and also register some wins in the upcoming campaign. Norris has now competed in five seasons in F1 but is still to register a win in any format. As a result, the pressure will be on him next year, having seen Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren register a fantastic victory at the Qatar Grand Prix sprint in just his rookie season.
As for Hamilton, nothing other than having a car that is capable of fighting for the championship is likely to make him happy. The 38-year-old Briton continues to be as determined as ever to go passed Michael Schumacher by winning a record eighth title.
