The Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are seen as one of the grid’s strongest pairings, but Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has still romped to the world championship title
Emerson Fittipaldi, a two-time world champion, chose Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri over Lewis Hamilton and George Russell as the best driving team on the F1 grid.
With seven podium finishes and one sprint race victory between them, Norris and Piastri have driven McLaren to an astounding comeback in the second half of the season. The group is now Red Bull’s main rival as the season’s final laps are approached.
From the beginning of the year, when Norris and Piastri were both having difficulty at the back of the grid, it is a remarkable turnaround. Fittpaldi chose the pair over Hamilton and Russell’s Mercedes team as the grid’s strongest pairing as a result of this.
Russell is thought to be a future champion, while Hamilton has won seven world championships. Fittipaldi, however, thinks that as teammates, the McLaren duo are setting the bar high.
“I believe Verstappen is referring to them as two young talents who are incredibly quick. Piastri’s performance in his first season of Formula One has surprised me. He’s gotten along great with the team and the car, he told Vegas Insider.
“He’s doing a fantastic job, in my opinion. We are aware of Lando Norris’ abilities and qualities. That’s been established already. And I comprehend what Max is saying. This team’s distribution of equal drivers strikes the sweet spot.
“In one way, it helps to be so competitive. I’m sure, the information that Piastri gets driving the McLaren to the limit and Norris, both working together. The engineers exchange information. All this, for sure, will improve McLaren’s performance.
“When I was working with Ronnie Peterson, I recall that our communication with one another and with Colin (Chapman) and the team was completely open. And when the drivers work together, I believe that it makes a significant difference. That’s a big help.
Max Verstappen will face a challenging test from the McLarens at this weekend’s American Grand Prix, according to Fittipaldi. Despite Verstappen’s quick ascent to the top spot, Fittipaldi insisted that life in Austin would not be simple for him.
“I believe the McLaren pairing to be a very strong one. They’ll probably struggle as they try to pass each other on the track. COTA is a very challenging track to maximize the performance of the vehicle because you have many.
“And that goes the same for driving. It’s a challenging track to drive. It’s a demanding track. I can see this year, the McLarens should be very fast there. I think they’re coming to a point where they can be the Red Bull’s biggest challengers. Verstappen still has the big advantage.”