(Motorsport) British racing driver Lando Norris has called reigning champion Max Verstappen one of the fastest Formula 1 drivers but has expressed his disappointment at not being able to compete against the Dutchman in the 2022 season. Verstappen, who has an outside chance of winning his second World Championship this weekend at Singapore has won 11 out of 16 races so far and is on track to surpass Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s record of 13 race wins in a single season. 

Speaking about Verstappen, McLaren’s Lando Norris said “Similar to Lewis in previous years, when you've got a car that can deliver and win races, he's the one taking those opportunities. He's beating his team-mate every time, but it's impressive to see day in and day out. Even in Practice One, Two and Three, he's never under the limit, he's always pushing the limits. Even P1, the first lap of the whole day, his times are sometimes quicker than we ever do in qualifying! He's one of the most talented drivers ever to come into Formula 1, one of the fastest. No doubt he's going to win his second this year and most likely go on to win a few more in the future."

While Lewis Hamilton has won seven World Championships in his career, the joint highest in the history of the sport, the likes of Verstappen, Leclerc and George Russell at the age of 24 represent the future of Formula 1 and potential title contenders for years to come. Norris, who is two years younger than the trio also has the talent to compete for titles but has been let down by a less competitive McLaren, a factor that he considers to be “frustrating”. Speaking about his season so far, Norris said “You have to [bide your time] you can't do too much else. You can't really complain. I still have an opportunity in Formula 1.

“I still feel like when I've finished P6, P7 sometimes, I've driven the best race of my life, or I've done the best lap in qualifying and I'm P8 or P9. You have to realise that that was your goal and your objective for the day. You've got to ask yourself, have you done the best lap you could have done? Have you put everything together? And if you have, that's what you've got to be happy with, no matter if it's P10, P5, P6, whatever. You know you might not win a race for many years and your opportunity may come in 12 years or something like that. 

“It's frustrating at times, because you feel like you deserve more at certain periods, no matter how much hard work you put in. You have a guy that can have the easiest race and chill the whole race and win a race, and then there's you sweating, having the hardest race of your life and P8. It's never hard feelings against anyone else, because they're probably deserving to be in that position and you just have to have faith that in a few years, or a few races, you'll have your opportunity." 

Also read: Formula 1 to feature six sprint events in the 2023 season