Lando Norris won the driver of the day award at the Chinese Grand Prix last weekend after an excellent runner-up finish. Max Verstappen looked virtually unbeatable, but Norris denied Red Bull a one-two.
Starting from fourth on the grid, he overtook Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin and took advantage of a safety car situation to move ahead of Sergio Perez. He successfully defended his position against Perez in the final laps.
This race marked his best performance since the Brazilian Grand Prix last season. Despite remaining in fifth place in the championship standings, he is now just 11 points behind Carlos Sainz and holds a 20-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri.
The 24-year-old has once again added to his unfortunate record of the most podium finishes without a victory, which now stands at 15. However, it’s only a matter of time before he breaks free from that title.
Norris had an impressive performance during Friday’s practice sessions, displaying his exceptional skills and earning praise from Damon Hill, who described him as having ‘pure talent’. He even outperformed the competition by 1.3 seconds in a wet sprint qualifying. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse at the beginning of the race.
Despite a weak start, he lost his position to Lewis Hamilton and attempted to take the outside line at turn one. Hamilton cleverly maneuvered and pushed him wide, resulting in Norris sliding off the track.
Norris displayed no resentment, recognizing his opponent’s skillful move. However, Sam Bird criticized it as a significant error, while Rosberg claimed that Norris has a tendency to make numerous mistakes.
F1 insiders compare Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton
Andrew Benson, a BBC F1 reporter, has stated that Norris is now considered part of the exclusive ‘elite group’ in F1 by many in the pitlane. This group consists of F1’s three world champions and Charles Leclerc, a five-time Grand Prix winner.
Benson mentioned that now everyone in the paddock acknowledges him as a member of the exclusive group that includes Verstappen, Hamilton, Alonso, and Leclerc.
George Russell’s absence is significant, as he is currently outperforming Hamilton this season. Sebastian Vettel has forecasted that Russell will become the next Formula 1 world champion.
Could Lando Norris join Red Bull?
It’s no wonder that Norris is catching the eye of rival teams if he’s part of the ‘elite group’. Rumors were already circulating that Red Bull might go after either him or his teammate Piastri if they were to lose Verstappen.
Helmut Marko has openly expressed the Bulls’ interest, going as far as to mention to his father that they could provide him with a car capable of winning races. The only issue is that Norris recently signed a new contract with McLaren for the long term.
Prior to Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari, the market experienced a surge in activity. There are those who contend that he made the commitment prematurely.
However, McLaren’s progress provides ample reason for optimism. They triumphed over the Scuderia in Shanghai, a circuit where they anticipated difficulties, and Damon Hill has expressed his support for their ability to surpass Red Bull ahead of others.
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