Adam Norris, father of Lando Norris, believes the McLaren driver “is the one to beat” reigning World Champion Max Verstappen.
The 23-year-old battled Verstappen in the opening laps of the recent British Grand Prix, which he remarkably led.
Norris qualified second and overtook the two-time World Champion into the opening corner, before leading the first few laps.
He was ultimately overtaken by Verstappen, who won the race.
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The Briton did manage to hold on for second though, after a brilliant defensive display against Lewis Hamilton.
Considering McLaren are a midfield team, it was a superhuman effort by Norris, who more than deserves a car which can fight for victory.
That’s something he will likely have at some point in his career, especially as he’s been linked several times to Red Bull.
Incredibly, his father wasn’t sure if he’d even make it to the pinnacle of motorsport, given how “difficult” it is to go all the way from karting to F1.
“I was 50-50 on whether he [Lando] would ever get into F1 on the day he signed his contract,” Adam told the F1 Nation podcast.
“It is that difficult to get in and for things to go the wrong way, so I didn’t know.”
Norris hasn’t only made it to F1, he’s established himself as one of the fastest drivers on the grid, something which makes his father believe that the young star is “the one to beat” Verstappen.
“He showed signs of promise when he was really young,” Norris’ father continued.
“He was always fast, ridiculously fast, so he will be able to take it to Max.
“I think he is the one to beat Max.”
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Interestingly, Norris’ father also addressed why he didn’t defend the lead from Verstappen at Silverstone, with the McLaren driver having put up no fight when Verstappen made his way past.
“Lando knew he wasn’t going to keep first so he wanted to make sure he would finish the race properly, rather than wasting time and destroying his tyres.
“Getting second is great, later in the year we will go for first and there will be a right time and right place to go it.”