Lewis Hamilton names two-podium F1 driver who’s been ‘unlucky’ this season

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Lando Norris has been the in-form driver in Formula 1 over the last three races. Either side of his victory in Miami, he’s scored back-to-back runner-up finishes.

Back in China, Norris took advantage of a well-timed safety car to leapfrog Sergio Perez in the running order. He would split the otherwise dominant Red Bull duo on the podium.

The safety car would also come to his aid in Miami, enabling him to make a ‘free’ pit stop and retain the lead of the race. But he streaked clear of Max Verstappen after the restart to score his maiden win.

He came close to beating the Dutchman once again last time out at Imola. Verstappen looked to have things well under control until the closing stages, when his tyres went away from him and Norris rapidly reeled him in.

In the end, the reigning champion was able to hold on. But the McLaren driver had closed to within DRS range and might well have snatched all 25 points with one more lap.

The Briton has now moved into a sole share of fourth place in the standings. He’s only six behind Perez, 12 behind Charles Leclerc and 60 behind Verstappen, leading some to question whether he has an outside chance of winning this year’s title.

Lewis Hamilton says Oscar Piastri has done a ‘great job’ this season

But while Lewis Hamilton acknowledges that his compatriot is performing well right now, he also wanted to call attention to his teammate Oscar Piastri. He feels the Australian’s recent results don’t reflect how good he’s been.

Piastri was running second in Miami before his race unravelled. He lost places in the safety-car period and then sustained damage in a clash with Carlos Sainz, for which the Spaniard was penalised.

The 23-year-old had to pit and dropped out of the points, ultimately finishing 13th. Then, at Imola, he initially out-qualified Norris to set up a front-row start alongside Verstappen, only to receive a three-place penalty for impeding Kevin Magnussen in Q1.

Piastri, who’s now started 29 Grands Prix, would finish a strong fourth in the race. But this was still a weekend tinged with a sense of what might have been as he failed to add to his tally of two career podiums.

Speaking to media outlets including The Guardian ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Hamilton gave both Norris and Piastri credit. He says McLaren’s recent strides have ‘warmed his heart’.

“I don’t think he needs any tips,” he said of Norris. “He’s doing a great job. I also think Oscar has done a great job as well but has just been a little unlucky in the last couple of races.

“I am excited to see both of them progress but mostly for McLaren, to see them up there, it warms my heart because it feels such a long time ago that they gave me my break.”

David Coulthard warns McLaren about Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris ‘issue’

McLaren are establishing themselves as regular victory contenders after bolting an ‘astonishing’ upgrade onto the car in Miami. While they’re nearing the culmination of a long-term journey back to the front, this could also bring trouble.

Norris remains the top dog in the team, leading Piastri 6-1 in both the qualifying and race-day head-to-heads. But the sophomore driver is improving all the time and is showing flashes of the driver he can become, not least in Imola qualifying.

Martin Brundle felt he showed ‘tremendous’ pace in Miami, while Sky Sports F1 colleague Karun Chandhok marvelled at the ‘devastatingly fast’ youngster in Emilia Romagna. Damon Hill has warned Norris that he’s got ‘his work cut out’.

David Coulthard thinks McLaren may face an ‘issue’ if both drivers are eventually battling for wins as they try to keep a lid on the competitive tension. But CEO Zak Brown has already accepted that they’re likely to come together at some point.