Lando Norris may turn out to be the best Formula 1 driver of his generation, former champion Nico Rosberg has predicted.
The young Brit has some stern competition among drivers of a similar age. The likes of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and George Russell are all within a couple of years of him and race for more competitive teams, but the McLaren star might be the best racer of them all.
At least that's what Rosberg suggested, as the 2016 champion weighed up the 22-year-old in comparison to team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. "He is one of the best of the next generation and potentially the best," said the German.
Norris is not yet a race winner in F1 but likely has a much bigger goal than that ahead in the future. "I think in this case, more than bashing Daniel at this point in time we should just praise Lando, who is driving absolutely like a future world champion," Rosberg added.
He is not the only one who believes there is a bright future ahead for the McLaren man, as even Verstappen himself suggested he will likely be a rival in the future. He admitted as much in a recent Instagram exchange between the two F1 stars.
Norris had fun on Instagram by posting a photo of himself with Verstappen after the Red Bull racer's win at the French Grand Prix. In the caption he wrote: "27 race wins between us after today," poking fun at the fact Verstappen has more than two dozen victories while he is yet to secure his first.
The Dutchman saw the funny side and responded with three laughing face emojis. And he was thinking about the future when he added: "I need to stock up before you start stealing them off me."
Meanwhile, Ricciardo has been regularly beaten by his much younger team-mate since moving to McLaren. But he believes he can change that if given a more competitive car to drive by the team.
"Give me a winning car, and I'll win," he boldly told Sky Sports. "I don't feel I've ever left a win on the table. That's the challenge that lies ahead of us, with myself and the team at McLaren. That's the confidence I have in myself and that's ultimately why I still wake up wanting to do it."
