F1 Driver That Could Potentially Grow To 'Level Of Verstappen And Hamilton' Identified

Wednesday, 10 January 2024 at 09:00

Former F1 driver Christijan Albers suggested there is one driver on the grid now that has the potential to reach Max Verstappen's and Lewis Hamilton's levels.

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are currently the two most successful drivers on the Formula One grid. There are ten Drivers' Championship titles between the two.

The Dutchman completely took over Formula One during the 2023 season and destroyed his teammate. Franz Tost recently stated no driver in Verstappen's position could ever get beyond the role of number two driver.

Albers, on the other hand, believes there is one driver on the grid that could challenge Verstappen if he had a competitive car, and that is Hamilton.

In his recent interview, Albers explained there is just no other driver with the kind of consistency and tire management that the two World Champions have.

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While he believes there is no such driver at this point, the 44-year-old suggested Lando Norris could reach the same level as the two F1 stars. He wrote in his De Telegraaf column:

"Lando Norris is someone who could eventually grow to the level of Verstappen and Hamilton."

With a talented rookie teammate by his side, Norris was pushed to elevate his game throughout the most recent season. He did make some mistakes in qualifying as a result of the pressure, but he also showed outstanding performance in multiple races.

"He was put under pressure a few times by rookie Oscar Piastri, especially in qualifying, but Norris showed who is boss after that. He was really much faster than Piastri on Sundays."

The 24-year-old showed some incredible tire management skills as well during the Mexico City Grand Prix, in which every single driver struggled with tire wear.

After starting from the complete back of the grid, Norris made his way through to the top ten twice in the same race to finally finish in P8. His team principal, Andrea Stella, called it one of the best races he has ever been part of.

So, the British driver definitely shows immense potential. Do you believe he can reach success similar to Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton?