Norris was speaking at a promotional event with McLaren boss Zak Brown, and was asked whether Hamilton has a chance of making a title comeback in 2026 with Ferrari.

The McLaren driver was interrupted by the crowd, who shouted "eight!" at the Briton whilst he was giving his answer on Hamilton's 2026 prospects, a reference to the controversial Abu Dhabi 2021 season finale.

At Abu Dhabi 2021, Max Verstappen pipped Hamilton to his first ever F1 world title, but not before a controversial late Safety Car was called that gave the Dutchman the opportunity to pit for fresh tyres and overtake the then Mercedes man.

After investigation, the FIA found that "human error" was involved in the Abu Dhabi 2021 finale, but that Race Director Michael Masi acted in "good faith" and Verstappen's world title was "valid" and "final"

But for some, over four years on, Abu Dhabi remains fresh in the memory, judging by the crowd reaction to Norris' answer at the event.

Originally posted by '@zuspamm' on TikTok, Norris said: "It's a different car, you know, he's got more experience than basically everyone.

"So, certainly, he's not won seven world championships..." Norris said, before the crowd 'corrected' him with the shouts of "eight!"

"Should have been eight," Norris quipped back at the crowd before continuing his praise of the Ferrari driver.

"It'll be cool, I also want to see, I think it's a cool thing to see, you know, Lewis back at the top and fighting, which I'm sure you will be seeing more of this year."

The very safety car from Abu Dhabi 2021 again made headlines recently, with the Aston Martin Vantage going on sale, after featuring at 20 Grands Prix between 2021 and 2023, for an eye-watering figure.