Ex-Formula 1 driver Giedo van der Garde reckons Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris are the three drivers on the grid who may dwell with Max Verstappen’s tempo; Van der Garde and Tom Bellingham function on the most recent version of the Sky Sports F1 Podcast

Lando Norris is “the one” over the long run who’s able to difficult Max Verstappen’s domination of the game, believes Dutch former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde.

Speaking on a particular Verstappen-focused version of the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Van der Garde named former champions Fernando Alonso, 42, and Lewis Hamilton, 38, because the drivers who may go toe-to-toe together with his countryman with equivalent tools.

But he believes Norris, who at 23 is 2 years youthful than even Verstappen, is effectively on the street to falling into that unique class too.

“If you have to pick a couple of drivers who can come close with the same car and the same team, you speak about Fernando Alonso – look at the performance he did again last weekend, he was really on fire, and with the experience he has he is still super fast – and Lewis Hamilton,” stated the previous Caterham and Sauber driver.

“The identical [as Fernando]. He could be very, excellent.

“And, who I rate very highly, Lando Norris.

“I believe he’s the one possibly in a couple of years to grow to be very, very near Max Verstappen.”

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Norris has been linked with the Red Bull seat subsequent to Verstappen previously, significantly earlier than the latest resurgence seen at McLaren, the place he’s contracted to the tip of 2025. The Woking outfit are additionally concentrating on their very own tilt at F1’s world titles once more in future seasons, which may pitch Norris into direct fight together with his pal Max.

Two-time champion Verstappen is at the moment on a record-equalling run of 9 consecutive race victories and quick racing in direction of a 3rd drivers’ crown, together with his benefit over Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez a staggering 138 factors.

Van der Garde, a pal of the Verstappen household who has recognized Max since childhood, stated: “At the moment he’s such on a different level compared to everybody else. Look at all the team-mates he had in the last couple of years, he destroyed everybody.

“I price Perez fairly extremely, he was my team-mate in GP2, and he did an excellent job with all the opposite drivers he has been racing [against] in Formula 1.

“But he has a tough time [against Verstappen]. Of course, it’s a mental thing sometimes because if you have a driver who is always quicker, always fast, always pulls three, four, five, six tenths or even more [on you] in qualifying, it just hurts mentally and that’s a little bit what’s happening.

“Perez is an effective man, he is fast, and firstly of the 12 months when he is within the circulate he is doing a beautiful job. But as soon as he will get the actual Max Verstappen subsequent to him, he’s struggling.”

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