Lauda: 'Norris alongside Verstappen would be a logical choice to me'

Mathias Lauda sees Lando Norris as Max Verstappen's perfect teammate. The son of F1 legend Niki Lauda is impressed by the level the McLaren driver competes at.

Norris secured sprint pole on Saturday and although he fell back in the sprint race, the Chinese Grand Prix itself saw him finish second. He prevented Red Bull Racing from achieving a one-two at the Shanghai International Circuit.

"Lando did a great job, Sergio Pérez could not come close to him," said Lauda, who saw Verstappen's Mexican teammate cross the line in third. "Pérez can finish second if everything goes well. But he cannot drive forward on his own like Verstappen can. After Verstappen, I see Norris as one of the best drivers in Formula 1."

Norris attractive

Norris recently extended his contract at McLaren, reportedly keeping him under contract with the Woking-based formation until 2027. Red Bull is, therefore, out of the running for the 24-year-old Briton's signature in the coming seasons.

"Norris alongside Verstappen, that would be a logical choice for me, he is showing at McLaren how much he is worth. The problem is: Max is very comfortable with Pérez. No top driver wants a teammate who can irritate him." Lauda thinks Norris would be able to do just that if he boarded alongside Verstappen at the Milton Keynes-based team. Helmut Marko also recently revealed he is a fan of Norris.

Red Bull Racing is still looking for a second driver alongside the triple world champion for next season. Sergio Perez seems to be in pole position for that, although Carlos Sainz and perhaps Yuki Tsunoda are also contenders.