Trying to predict who might be a future Formula 1 world champion isn’t easy, as there are so many factors to consider.
Given the recent dominance of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton before him, being in the right team at the right time is as important – if not more so – than possessing the required level of talent.
Speaking on the Formula For Success Podcast, Eddie Jordan has been talking up the chances of one of the younger drivers in the paddock.
Carlos Sainz showed in Australia that there is a small chink in Red Bull’s armour this season and when they do suffer those rare issues, you have to be ready to capitalise.
He was followed by teammate Charles Leclerc who is normally such a strong qualifier but, on the weekend, where he didn’t get it hooked up on the Saturday, he potentially missed out on a victory himself.
They were joined on the podium by Lando Norris and Jordan thinks if the 24-year-old shows more fight then he too could be not only challenging for race wins in the future, but championships.
He faces stiff competition from his teammate Oscar Piastri who showed at times during his rookie season that he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with as his career progresses.
Norris has been told to take inspiration from a former champion to go to the next level.
Eddie Jordan wants to see more fight from Lando Norris
Lando Norris will be pleased with finishing on the podium for the first time in 2024 in Melbourne.
He nailed qualifying and if it wasn’t for McLaren sacrificing his strategy to stop Piastri being undercut by George Russell, he could have finished second.
His third-place finish unfortunately earned Norris an unwanted Formula 1 record.
He’s now finished on the podium 14 times in his career, more than any other driver who hasn’t achieved a race victory, overtaking Nick Heidfeld.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside of F1 from height and parents to celebration
Jordan has told Norris that he needs to show more fight and that he may feel on one or two occasions he could have converted those second or third-place finishes into wins.
McLaren are still some way off Red Bull and Ferrari in terms of raw pace.
However, at the right track and under the right circumstances, a driver in a papaya-coloured overall could be standing on the top step of the podium this year.
Lando Norris told to take inspiration from Nigel Mansell
Talking about the 24-year-old, Jordan said: “He is revered, isn’t he? He’s loved, he’s a good-looking boy, his parents are gorgeous people.
“He is everything that every father would like to have in their son. He is a really good example, well-behaved, well-educated and knows his place.
“I just want to see more fight there! I want to see more viciousness. Could he have won any of those 14 Grand Prix, I think he might have, he might have won one or two of them.
“But I just want to see more action, real fight, real determination and I think when he gets that, remember, what was the standout feature of Nigel Mansell? It was belief.
“He believed he could beat anybody and the fact is that his talent possibly in certain areas was nowhere near as good as some of the guys that he was beating because mentally in his mind no one could pass him.
“So, I just want to see more of that while belief and commitment and passion in Lando, and you could be surprised, we could be looking at another British champion because he’s that good.”
Lando Norris needs to earn first F1 win sooner rather than later – opinion
While Jordan wants to see more fight from Norris, he does need a slightly faster car to be confident that he could win his first Grand Prix.
His performances this season have been hailed by Lewis Hamilton while Max Verstappen has predicted that he’ll win his first Grand Prix this season.
The Mercedes garage were left very surprised by how fast he was in Jeddah but even though he was on newer tyres, he couldn’t catch Leclerc in Australia.
Things aren’t perfect for Norris at this early stage of the season and he was still struggling with a ‘very difficult’ issue last weekend.
If McLaren can continue on the upward trajectory they started in 2023, then they could be on par with the two top teams by the end of the season.
The post ‘More viciousness’: Eddie Jordan wants 24-year-old to be more like Nigel Mansell and show 'real determination' appeared first on F1 Oversteer.
