Lando Norris has shared his thoughts on close friend Max Verstappen, with the Dutchman on the verge of claiming his second World Championship.
The McLaren driver has enjoyed a solid season himself, with the Brit currently occupying seventh in the Drivers’ Championship; however, he’ll be the first to admit that Verstappen is “going to win” the title this season.
Verstappen has been imperious during his title defence and has astonishingly won 10 of the last 13 races.
This unmatchable form, plus Ferrari’s downfall, has led to the Red Bull driver having his first shot at claiming his second crown this weekend at the Singapore Grand Prix.
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The 24-year-old boasts a 116-point-lead over Charles Leclerc, with the Monegasque needing to finish in the top eight at the Marina Bay Circuit to stop the Dutchman winning the title this weekend, if he wins.
Should Verstappen win and Leclerc fail to finish in the top eight, which is possible based on the current forecast for the weekend in the Asian country, then Sergio Pérez must finish in the top four to ensure that his team-mate doesn’t claim the crown with five races to go.
Even if the championship leader fails to claim the title this weekend, then he’s highly likely to wrap it up at the following Japanese Grand Prix.
With the forecast for Singapore currently showing thunderstorms and heavy downpours, Verstappen will understandably be the favourite to win the race.
Should he win at Singapore, then it would be his sixth consecutive victory of the season, whilst taking him one closer to Sebastian Vettel’s and Michael Schumacher’s joint record.
Vettel and Schumacher currently hold the record for most wins in a season, with the pair having won 13 times in a single campaign.
Verstappen could match this record at the Japanese Grand Prix and potentially eclipse it at the Circuit of the Americas.
The Dutchman is taking all the records, with Norris believing his friend will “win more championships in the future”.
“He has it easy,” the McLaren driver jokingly said to Sky Sports.
“His season has been easy. He should maybe have a go back in our car and see what that’s like.
“He has done amazing; of course. Similar to Lewis Hamilton in previous years. If you have a car that can deliver and can win races, he is the one who takes that chance every time. He is beating his teammate every time. It’s impressive to see him perform day in, day out.
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“Even in FP1, the first lap of the whole day, his lap times normally are quicker than we can ever do in qualifying something.
“He is the most talented driver ever,” Norris stated.
“One of the fastest. No doubt he is going to win his second this year and most likely he will go on and win more in the future.”