Lando Norris is pondering the question of which Formula 1 driver he considers the craftiest. According to the Brit, George Russell can play the game in the premier class just as well as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The McLaren driver believes that the five-time race winner only poses as the “good guy“, the hero of the story.
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Max Verstappen is known for always pushing the limits on the track. Lando Norris and George Russell have both experienced this ‘driving style’ of the four-time world champion in their now seven years in Formula 1. In 2025, the reigning world champion also had to deal with Verstappen’s mental ‘games’, when he fought for the title with the Red Bull driver until the end of the season.
‘Will do what is necessary’
Norris also recognizes these traits to mentally challenge rivals in his compatriots Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. The 26-year-old McLaren driver believes that all these drivers are smart enough to apply these kinds of actions. He emphasizes that Russell in particular will do what is necessary and that this can sometimes happen in a devious way. “George always knows what he is doing. He tries to come across as the good guy, but he will do what is necessary. Sometimes in a cunning way. I have a lot of respect for him,” Norris told the Daily Mail.
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According to Norris, there are always reasons behind a driver’s choices on the track. “I don’t know who the craftiest driver is. George is just smart, but so are Max and Lewis. One is a seven-time world champion, the other is Max, and George certainly scores high in terms of intelligence as well. He is always sharp and that is a strength. There is always a reason to place your car here or there, or to do this or that. They are not clumsy drivers. They are smart in that way,” said Norris.
That the Mercedes driver can also play these games became clear during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix. Russell made himself heard clearly against Verstappen then, when he claimed that the Dutchman had threatened him by saying he would put him in the wall. The cause was the exchange of words about the penalty the four-time world champion had received after qualifying.
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