The Formula 1 fraternity may still be fawning over Max Verstappen and citing the young Dutchman as a future world champion, but Verstappen himself is already looking towards Formula 1’s next rising star.
Verstappen finished runner-up in the European Formula 3 championship in 2014 and now sees current F3 championship leader, Lando Norris, as a young racer with a bright future.
Norris, the 17-year-old McLaren young driver is currently leading the fiercely competitive European F3 field by an astonishing 73-points.
Verstappen has been following the progression of Norris, especially during the recent in-season F1 test in Hungary where Norris posted the second fastest time.
“Lando Norris is very strong, and he is only 17 years old,” said the Red Bull Racing driver.
“Clearly he is promising for the future and a driver we’ll hear a lot about.”
Verstappen courted some controversy with his quick ascension to Formula 1, jumping straight from F3 to the sport’s pinnacle after just one year of competition. Verstappen believes however, that F3 is a good platform from which to jump straight into F1.
“I was able to learn a lot and found that the cars are not unlike Formula 1,” he said.
“I’m sure F3 is one of the main reasons I made it so quickly into F1.”
Lando Norris may be running away with the European F3 title this year but the majority of press coverage has focused on Mick Schumacher, son of seven time world champion, Michael. Verstappen, himself the son of a former grand prix driver, had some words of advice for the younger Schumacher.
“If I had to give Mick some advice, then it would be to concentrate completely on yourself. Don’t look left and right to the others.
“It sounds simple but I think it’s the right recipe,” the Dutchman added.
