Unfounded criticism of Norris: 'He's really going to win soon'

After a great weekend in China, it seems Lando Norris is getting closer to securing his first win. Although the British driver himself is not yet completely convinced of his own strength, former driver Jolyon Palmer is confident he will succeed.

Norris has been a victim of circumstance so far

"For me, Norris is already one of the best drivers," Palmer said in his column on the F1 site. "He has shown such a high level of performance since entering Formula 1 with McLaren in 2019, but especially in the last 12 months, with a car that can fight consistently, we have seen how good he is and that he can fight with some of the best out there."

The former driver also counts skills in wet conditions as one of the best at the moment, with a wet sprint pole in China where he had a lead of over 1.2 seconds.

According to Palmer, the criticism of Norris is therefore very unfair. "He has been the victim of circumstances so far. The 2021 race in Sochi was his biggest opportunity so far, but I don't blame Lando for losing that race."

The fact that Norris was in a position to win at all is amazing to Palmer. "In a car that is mid-race, in the Lewis Hamilton era of the mighty Mercedes, in circumstances where we know Hamilton is also blossoming. For me, it was more of an incredible achievement that he was able to win at all."

For Palmer, it is almost certain that it is only a matter of time before Norris will also appear on the list of winners, and his driving during this weekend in China shows exactly why that is the case.