Lewis Hamilton: Verstappen more of a racer than Mercedes driver, says Lando Norris

Lando Norris

Verstappen more of a racer than Hamilton, says Lando Norris

The McLaren driver has praised the overtaking abilities of the Dutchman

Martin Macdonald

Tuesday 10 March 2020 11:07

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Lando Norris reckons than Max Verstappen is “more of a racer” than Lewis Hamilton as he is forced to overtake in order to get ahead during races, while the Mercedes driver is usually leading.

Verstappen enjoyed the best season of his career in 2019, winning races in Austria, Germany, and Brazil, as well as claiming his first pole position in Hungary.

He is believed by many to be a future world champion - a moniker which has been earned by Hamilton on six occasions after his title win last season.

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Even though Norris respects both drivers, he has highlighted one key difference about how they race.

“Max is more of a racer than Lewis,” the McLaren driver told PA Sport.

“He wins by making those moves and puts everything on the line.

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“Lewis has spent a lot of years against decent drivers. He is very good in qualifying. He nails the laps and then he nails the race. But you never see him making these amazing overtakes – probably because he is always at the front – yet you see that from Max.

“Both drivers have strengths, albeit in slightly different areas. It would be great to see them go head-to-head this year. They are the two that are proving themselves at the moment.”

Norris admits that the current Formula 1 product can be boring as Mercedes are winning season after season, but knows the Silver Arrows have earned their success due to their continued innovations.

“I know a lot of people who don’t watch Formula One because all they see is a Mercedes winning and it looks boring from the outside,” he revealed.

“I hope it doesn’t happen this year, but it is likely it will. It is a shame and it is bad but what can you do about it?

“There are so many little things that Mercedes have worked so hard on, like the steering wheel. They come up with these ideas which are just insane and you have to say hats off.

“Everyone else needs to do a better job and catch up.”

The 20-year-old made his debut in the 2019 season and impressed alongside new team-mate Carlos Sainz, finishing 11th in the championship rankings.