"One of the best drivers competing in a car that is not the best" – Lando Norris feels F1 will see a 'different side' of Lewis Hamilton with Mercedes' struggles

Lando Norris believes that F1 will get to witness a “different side” of Lewis Hamilton in 2022 due to Mercedes' lack of competitiveness to challenge the front runners.

The McLaren driver feels it would be interesting to see the seven-time world champion deal with not having the best car on the grid, something that he has been accustomed to over the last few years. Speaking to the press ahead of the Australian GP, Norris said:

“With Lewis [Hamilton], you are seeing the challenge of one of the best drivers competing in a car that is not the best. We will see a different side of Lewis, compared to the last decade.”

One of the biggest factors in Lewis Hamilton’s phenomenal success with Mercedes throughout the turbo-hybrid era has been the team’s impressive ability to deal with new regulation changes. Mercedes have consistently come up with competitive cars that were oftentimes far ahead of the competition.

Hamilton’s ability and experience shone through on those rare occasions where the Silver Arrows weren’t at their best, particularly in 2017 and 2019. The team, however, has rarely been in a situation where the car outright lacked front-running pace, until now.

Lando Norris feels the team’s current situation will help put the focus back on Hamilton and his ability, saying:

“But I don’t think you can say it is all about the car, rather than Lewis’ [Hamilton] ability. He has still been against very good drivers, such as Fernando [Alonso] in his first year, and then went on to achieve what everyone expected of him. I just don’t believe in the last few years he has had quite the challenge that he could have had, or maybe that he had against [Nico] Rosberg. Perhaps we will see that against George [Russell]. I don’t think anything takes away the driver he is.”

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Ferrari’s success “reassuring” for other teams: Lando Norris

Lando Norris feels Ferrari competing for the championship in 2022 after two miserable seasons in the midfield is a reassuring sign for other teams.

The young Briton felt that the Scuderia’s turn of competitiveness showed that other teams can also achieve similar feats. Speaking to GPFans, he said:

“Much as I hate to say it, it is good to see Ferrari up there. It is reassuring for other teams to know it is still possible. If it were just Mercedes and Red Bull again, it would be so predictable.”

While Ferrari have bounced back to the front this season, exploiting the regulations overhaul, their rivals McLaren seem to have gone the other way. The British outfit's performances in the first two rounds in Bahrain and Jeddah were less than impressive. Ahead of the Australian GP, however, the team seems to have unlocked a bit more performance, to be within the top-10.