Norris on F1 rival: You're 'silly' if you underrate him

Lando Norris has defended a fellow F1 star, who has been labelled as ‘underrated’ in their career.

The British driver stepped on the podium for the first time this season in Australia finishing third.

READ MORE: Hamilton's Mercedes commitment discussed by team-mate amid Ferrari switch

Despite the achievement, the McLaren driver has earnt the unfortunate record of the most podiums without a race win.

Norris celebrated his 14th podium alongside winner and former McLaren teammate Carlos Sainz, who overtook Max Verstappen on lap two to take the lead.

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz will lose his race seat in 2025 to an incoming Lewis Hamilton, even though he is the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race since 2022.

When asked whether Sainz was underrated at the Australian GP post-race conference, Norris came to the defence of his former teammate.

READ MORE: OUTRAGEOUS Las Vegas GP ticket prices revealed

He said: “There's no reason anyone should think he's underrated. I think for the people who know him, know what he's capable of doing, know his effort level, his approach and dedication to wanting to be one of the best, exactly like he's proved today, and over the last couple of weeks.

“I'm sure you have plenty of drivers who probably wouldn't have tried as hard and dedicated so much of their time and effort to trying to recover and get back in the race car. And I think that's just one example of it.

“But for the people who know what he's capable of doing, you would never ever say he's underrated. And yeah, of course, results are always a bit of a point to show and people on the outside just easily judge things from what you see on TV.

“But when you've worked with him, when you know what he's capable of doing, and when things click, they click very well and he has performances like he does this weekend.

“And I would say all year, he's proved to be a step up from maybe what he has been last year. Yeah, you're silly if you underrate him.”

READ MORE: US F1 star signs MEGA new contract

Related

More F1 news

Full News Feed

McLaren boss linked with Ferrari move as Lambiase switch confirmed

• Yesterday 23:00

Legal fight over former F1 track intensifies after $4bn takeover blocked

• Yesterday 21:00

Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton caught in Coachella mix-up amid privacy concerns

• Yesterday 19:00

F1 genius crashed motorbike into a team motorhome

• Yesterday 17:00

Verstappen's team-mate 'passes out' following mammoth GT3 stint

• April 13, 2026 22:59

Haas F1 boss reveals 'discussions' over Lewis Hamilton replacement

• April 13, 2026 21:03