Ralf Schumacher says Lando Norris isn’t on Max Verstappen’s level as he shares Oscar Piastri’s issue

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Ralf Schumacher thinks there is “no question” that Lando Norris is a “fantastic” driver, but there is a reason the McLaren man is not on Red Bull rival Max Verstappen’s level.

Norris firmly convinced Schumacher of his talents last year, as the Briton won the F1 drivers’ title for the first time in his career. The 26-year-old overturned a 34-point deficit to McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, and he then held on as Verstappen got to within a mere two points.

Defending the drivers’ title has proven to be impossible for Norris so far in 2026, as McLaren have not adapted as well to F1’s 2026 regulations as Mercedes and Ferrari. Norris is just fifth in the standings through nine rounds, on 82 fewer points than leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Lando Norris has improved year-on-year at Spa since 2021 🇧🇪 Rate his chances of going one better in the 2026 Belgian GP?

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Lando Norris is ‘too similar’ to Oscar Piastri to be on Max Verstappen’s level

But Norris’ most alarming trend so far in 2026 is not his standing in the championship, as far as Schumacher is concerned. Instead, the German feels Norris is “too similar” to Piastri, who has lost his “edge” this year, so he cannot be seen as being on the same level as Verstappen.

READ MORE: Lando Norris’ first F1 drivers’ title in 2025 was defined by seven key moments

Schumacher now questions whether Piastri is actually one of the top drivers on the 2026 F1 grid, given his struggles – especially for consistency. And he adds that Norris is “too similar” to Piastri, while Verstappen is once again showing that he makes the difference at Red Bull.

“If you’re not consistently significantly better than your teammate, then at some point the question becomes legitimate. Is he really at the top?” Schumacher examined on Sky Sports Germany’s Backstage Boxengasse podcast.

“And I’d say that what Oscar Piastri is showing right now, whatever the reasons, is different from before. Now, he’s lost that edge a bit. And I think the two of them are too similar.

“Norris is fantastic, he became world champion, no question about it, and he is incredibly likeable. But would I rate him as highly as Verstappen? I don’t think so.

“That’s why Verstappen earns so much money and can go practically anywhere, because he makes the difference.”

Piastri sits sixth in the F1 drivers’ standings ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, after securing 82 points through the first nine rounds. The 25-year-old is the filling in a Norris and Verstappen sandwich, with the Briton and Dutchman in P5 and P7 bagging 97 and 76 points.

What, in your opinion, has gone wrong for McLaren this year? 📉

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Back-to-back non-scores to begin the season, after Piastri crashed on his way to the grid in Australia and McLaren registered a double did not start in China owing to separate battery issues, immediately left the Melbourne native on the back foot in this year’s championship.

Still, Piastri and Norris are actually tied at 4-4 in their Grand Prix results head-to-head battle so far this year (excluding McLaren’s double DNS in Shanghai), and they both have a P2 and a P3 finish for their best results. Norris also only just leads Piastri 5-4 in their qualifying duel, and both papaya drivers have set personal bests of P3 and lows of P8 in qualifying this term.

Both McLaren racers have also only really made the difference in a Grand Prix once this year, with Piastri securing P2 after fighting for the win in Japan as Norris finished P5, and the latter securing P3 in Barcelona while the former finished P5 with 34.942 seconds separating them.

Verstappen, in contrast, is once again Red Bull’s leading light despite his regular frustrations with the RB22’s lack of balance and overall performance. The Dutchman overcame a crash in qualifying in Austria to finish P2, and was in the podium battle at Silverstone before an issue with the time Red Bull’s Macarena rear wing takes to close made him spin out of third place.