Lewis Hamilton snubbed for Lando Norris as Mercedes star braced for more frus…
Lando Norris has been chosen ahead of Lewis Hamilton as the driver most likely to challenge Max Verstappen for next season’s Drivers’ Championship title. The McLaren ace has enjoyed an impressive campaign in 2023 with seven podiums to his name and is widely regarded as one of the most talented drivers on the F1 grid.
Norris came close to beating Verstappen at the Brazilian Grand Prix earlier this month, with the pair crossing the line ahead of third-placed Fernando Alonso by almost half a minute. The former is yet to secure his first Grand Prix victory but Express Sport readers believe that he could be the one to challenge Verstappen next year if he keeps improving at his current rate.
Around 45 per cent of respondents to our latest F1 poll said that Norris will have the best chance of beating Verstappen, with just 32 per cent backing Hamilton to rekindle his rivalry with the Dutchman. The latter has failed to win a race in over two years and his prospects of ending the drought have certainly not been helped by McLaren’s resurgence in recent months.
It remains to be seen if Norris will be able to get closer to Verstappen next year, with the Red Bull ace having been in a league of his own in each of the last two seasons. Any hopes of a genuine title fight will rest on whether McLaren can keep up with their Austrian rivals in terms of development, which could prove to be a difficult task over the course of the campaign.
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Norris recently talked up his chances of rivalling Verstappen in 2024 if everybody at McLaren continues to pull in the right direction, saying earlier this month: “Of course, we’ve taken some massive steps forward. At the same time, considering and talking about fighting the Red Bull, I think it’s still a very, very good thing for what we’ve achieved this year.
“We’re talking about one of the best drivers in Formula One ever, in one of the most dominated cars. We’re talking about a guy who’s won 17 [races in] one of the most dominated years in Formula One history. For us to go from where we were in Bahrain to getting close and talking about fighting a Red Bull, I think are very good signs for us.
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“We know we still have plenty more things to come next year. I’m excited. Having that as a thought is quite a faraway thought. I don’t want to think of it just now. There’s no point thinking of it until next year, but I’ll be optimistic and I believe we can do it as a team.”
Norris scored just 12 points in this year’s first nine races but has since added 183 points to that total as a result of McLaren’s rapid development behind the scenes. The 24-year-old will be looking to finish the campaign on a high at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in order to give himself a timely boost in advance of next season.
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