Lewis Hamilton snubbed for Lando Norris as Mercedes star braced for more frustration

Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris will be hoping to challenge Max Verstappen for next year’s Drivers’ Championship title.

The driver most likely to challenge Max Verstappen for the Drivers’ Championship title the following season is Lando Norris, not Lewis Hamilton. With seven podium finishes in 2023, the McLaren ace has had a fantastic season and is considered one of the most talented drivers in the Formula One grid.

Norris came close to beating Verstappen at the Brazilian Grand Prix earlier this month, with the pair crossing the line ahead of third-placed Fernando Alonso by almost half a minute. The former is yet to secure his first Grand Prix victory but Express Sport readers believe that he could be the one to challenge Verstappen next year if he keeps improving at his current rate.

Around 45 per cent of respondents to our latest F1 poll said that Norris will have the best chance of beating Verstappen, with just 32 per cent backing Hamilton to rekindle his rivalry with the Dutchman. The latter has failed to win a race in over two years and his prospects of ending the drought have certainly not been helped by McLaren’s resurgence in recent months.

It remains to be seen if Norris will be able to get closer to Verstappen next year, with the Red Bull ace having been in a league of his own in each of the last two seasons. Any hopes of a genuine title fight will rest on whether McLaren can keep up with their Austrian rivals in terms of development, which could prove to be a difficult task over the course of the campaign.

Norris recently talked up his chances of rivalling Verstappen in 2024 if everybody at McLaren continues to pull in the right direction, saying earlier this month: “Of course, we’ve taken some massive steps forward. At the same time, considering and talking about fighting the Red Bull, I think it’s still a very, very good thing for what we’ve achieved this year.

“We’re talking about one of the best drivers in Formula One ever, in one of the most dominated cars. We’re talking about a guy who’s won 17 [races in] one of the most dominated years in Formula One history. For us to go from where we were in Bahrain to getting close and talking about fighting a Red Bull, I think are very good signs for us.

” We are aware that there will be a ton more events in the upcoming year. I’m thrilled. That’s a very distant thought to be thinking. Right now, I don’t want to consider it. It’s useless to consider it until the following year, but I’ll be positive and think we can succeed as a group.”

After scoring just 12 points in the first nine races of this year, Norris has increased his total to 183 points thanks to McLaren’s quick development in the background. The 24-year-old hopes to give himself a much-needed boost ahead of the upcoming season by capping the campaign off well at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.