Lando Norris warned of BIGGEST HURDLE between himself and F1 glory

Lando Norris

Norris warned of BIGGEST HURDLE between himself and F1 glory

Lando Norris has been backed to achieve F1 greatness on one condition

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Sunday 20 August 2023 19:42

Ex Formula 1 team boss Eddie Jordan has warned that Lando Norris will have to overcome the 'biggest hurdle' of beating Max Verstappen if he wants to lead McLaren to glory.

Norris has enjoyed a superb change of fortune following McLaren's upgrades to the MCL60.

The Brit claimed successive P2 finishes behind Verstappen at Silverstone and the Hungaroring, heading into the summer break with a far more upbeat outlook than the start of the year.

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Yet if the 23-year-old wants to go one step further and start winning races, Jordan believes that McLaren and Norris have a serious challenge in dethroning Red Bull and Verstappen.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Formula For Success podcast, Jordan and David Coulthard discussed McLaren's surge in form at length.

Norris needs to get past Verstappen first

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen celebrate together after claiming P2 and P1 finishes respectively at the Hungarian Grand Prix

“I think actually McLaren have turned the corner, I think that they are coming good again,” Coulthard said.

“And yes, he [Norris] did commit a multi-year contract to them. He would be an asset for any Formula 1 team, so I’m sure that all of the other top teams are well aware of what his contractual terms are.

“But if they keep going, the way they’re going right now, then I see Lando winning grands prix at McLaren.”

“Hmm, winning grands prix at McLaren, first they have to overcome Red Bull,” Jordan said in response to Coulthard's comments.

“And the next biggest hurdle after that is the likes of Max Verstappen, which is not going to be an easy task, never. He’s fast emerging to be the greatest driver of all time. I think there’s no doubt about that.

“Or certainly what’s going on at the moment is simply spectacular. He’s very together and obviously, we wish him wealth and health and everything to go with his future career.

“But I think in five years’ time, if the good Lord spares us, we’d be saying, ‘my God, we lived through Max Verstappen, wasn’t that the most amazing years of all time’.”