'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABiAAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACBAAAgEEAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDAAQRIQUTBgdhAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGBxEAAgIBBAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBAUABxESUmGx/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwCqeehsF9lWXmMqAvxcU1rHD0o7NkFGfsba6OsVQkZ7EVwNMoIz9pSpPtzmsplr+fjuWDKsNhDGCAOvZnB44A8dKM/Xhhr0GRApKFSfShSPuv/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Lando Norris feels he's ready to compete for the title against Max Verstappen and even Lewis Hamilton. The young driver made his debut in 2019 with McLaren and is now in his fifth season in F1. During this period, his reputation as one of the best on the grid has grown from strength to strength.
His two-year stint alongside Daniel Ricciardo has only strengthened the claim and turned him into one of the hottest properties on the market. For Norris, the time has come to move to the next level.
When asked if he feels he could challenge the likes of Verstappen and Hamilton, Norris sounded confident that he van get the job done. Talking to The Race, he said:
"I feel very confident now that if I was in a position to go up against Max and Lewis (Hamilton), I'm not the kind of guy to ever say I'm confident I will easily be able to go out and beat them, but I believe I'll be able to battle against them and be a contender against them for a championship. But I believe that even more so for '24. And I believe that even more for '25."
"It's below the expectation of the team" - Lando Norris
Talking about the start of the season and where McLaren find themselves right now, Lando Norris did not pull any punches:
"If I'm honest, I will say it's below expectation. The thing is, it's below the expectation of the team as well. And I think that's known by everyone. I guess it's a bit of the reason why there's been quite a few changes. The trajectory in 2021 was very good. And the progression through '22 was pretty reasonable."
He added:
"The step into this year is below the expectation that we all had in mind at the end of last season. This is the year I expected a bit more of a step. Even last year, I would say, in terms of a realistic expectation, I was hoping for a little bit more. So, I'd say this year and last year are a little bit below where I was hoping the team would be, for many different reasons."
Lando Norris scored his first points of the season in Melbourne and will hope to build on that in the coming races, starting with the Azerbaijan GP this weekend.
