Norris defends Hamilton after career questions raised

Lando Norris has leapt to the defence of Lewis Hamilton after questions were raised about the champion’s F1 career at Ferrari.

Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari has failed to propel the 40-year-old into championship contention, with his recent form in comparison to team-mate Charles Leclerc a major talking point in Barcelona.

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Former Mercedes driver and Hamilton team-mate Nico Rosberg appeared baffled at the champion's loss of form during Sky's broadcast, questioning whether age has tempered Hamilton's ability.

The seven-time world champion described his performance as ‘terrible’ after the Spanish Grand Prix, and delivered yet another dejected post-race interview as his McLaren rivals secured a one-two finish.

Despite their rivalry, Hamilton still has support from the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri who opened up on how much they admire the champion in a conversation shared to the team’s website.

“When I started watching Formula 1, I was supporting Lewis Hamilton,” Norris said.

“Lewis was the guy at McLaren, and he was kind of a reason why I got into Formula 1 in the first place."

Piastri concurred with Norris and claimed he was up there in regards to the greats of F1, as the pair put aside their sporting rivalry to praise Hamilton.

Hamilton bolstered by McLaren F1 stars

Hamilton is not only the most successful F1 driver in history, but also a role model outside of the sport in regards to his social justice work.

The champion’s charitable foundation Mission 44 recently released a set of recommendations to the UK government over educational inclusion and reform, after concerning levels of exclusions and suspensions had been reported.

Hamilton even met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street, where the F1 legend revealed his own personal experiences in education and stated that school had ‘failed’ him.

Norris continued to bolster Hamilton’s abilities, and also acknowledged that Hamilton’s off-track work was just as impressive as record-breaking F1 success.

"Seven World Championships, over 100 wins – if I get anywhere close to that in my racing career, then I'll be pretty happy!” Norris continued.

“It’s not only that, but also what he's done away from the track. It's not easy to accomplish so much away from the track and remain focused on racing. I think he’s set a pretty good standard for what an F1 driver can do.”

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