Christijan Albers thinks £230k-a-week driver could reach Lewis Hamilton’s level one day

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Former Formula 1 driver Christijan Albers believes that Lando Norris could reach the same level as two current world champions on the grid.

Despite not having a race win to his name as yet, Lando Norris is still one of the most highly-rated drivers in Formula 1 right now.

Speaking to De Telegraaf, Christijan Albers believes that the £230k-a-week driver could one day match the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

For that to happen, Norris is going to need a car that can compete at the front of the grid.

That didn’t look likely at the start of 2023 when McLaren were basically at the back of the pack in Bahrain.

However, some immense upgrades meant Norris and Oscar Piastri were challenging for podiums regularly, even if they couldn’t find a way past Max Verstappen on a Sunday.

Albers has now admitted that he thinks Norris could reach the same level as Hamilton and Verstappen one day.

It’s a very bold call considering they have ten world championships between them, but if McLaren can establish a similar level of dominance to Red Bull or Mercedes, then Norris would be in pole position to earn his first title.

Albers backs Norris to reach Hamilton’s level

Speaking about the 24-year-old, Albers said: “Lando Norris is someone who can eventually grow to the level of Verstappen and Hamilton.

“He was put under pressure a few times by rookie Oscar Piastri, especially in the qualifying sessions, but Norris then showed who was the boss.

“He was really much faster than Piastri on Sundays.”

It’s hard to judge Norris based on the battle with his teammate given Piastri was regularly turning up at race weekends and seeing tracks for the very first time.

That wasn’t an issue for him in Lusail when he won the Sprint Race in Qatar and finished on the podium on the Sunday.

However, the way he drove at Silverstone and Mexico City highlights just how quick he is right now.

For Norris to reach the level that Albers believes he’s capable of, he needs to improve his performances in qualifying to make sure he’s giving himself the best chance of scoring big points at every race.

Race wins can’t be guaranteed in Formula 1 and periods of dominance like the ones experienced by Mercedes and Red Bull mean even the next quickest car on the grid struggles to stand on the top step of the podium.

That might play into Norris’s thinking when considering his long-term future, but there are no question marks over his natural speed right now.