Formula 1 has been moving forwards, so to speak with a plethora of regulation changes. After the 2022 regulations reset, the sport will also have new engine regulations from 2026 onwards. Naturally, with the formula of the sport changing so drastically, ancillary aspects of the sport shall also change. In a way, the tires on an F1 car are not ancillary at all. Rather, it is one of the most important and crucial aspects of the car and its inherent performance potential. No one knows this better than drivers like Max Verstappen & Lando Norris.

Tires have changed, too. The low-profile Pirelli tires were first introduced in 2022. And they’ve been refined for 2023. Though the low profile of the tire has caused some embarrassment and trouble for the drivers, it would appear that some have coped with it better than others.

Lando Norris cannot operate at the same level as Max Verstappen in 2023

While the car characteristics do actually have an impact on how the tires behave, it also comes down majorly to how a driver reacts to the changes. For 2x champion, Max Verstappen, he’s pretty happy with how the new tires are dealing.

He was quoted by Racefans.net as saying, “Also with the new tyres for Pirelli, I do think it’s a little improvement. We have to see on every single track as well that it works everywhere. Because every Tarmac and track condition, like the weather, it influences a lot. But I’m confident that everything will be heading into the right direction.”

On the flip side, though, Lando Norris seems to be struggling. “The tyre doesn’t work and on this surface with this tyre temperature, I can’t describe how bad the grip is. That’s why you see everyone going straight on in Turn 1 and locking up… it provides literally no grip, so you have to brake so early, which causes chaos and causes incidents,” said Norris as quoted by Autosport.

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And while Norris lacks in the tire department, the Dutch lion apparently excels everywhere else.

No daylight between Norris and Verstappen

Max Verstappen is the benchmark right now. No one can even imagine touching him, and the hot run of form he’s been on. That being said, a world champion has the caliber to recognize another. And according to 2x champ, Mika Häkkinen, Norris is one of the greats.

He was quoted by nl.motorsport as saying, “He is a very quick driver, he’s achieved a lot, or rather he’s shown convincing results consistently, he’s super-talented, no question about it. He’s on the same level as [Charles] Leclerc, [Max] Verstappen and [Carlos] Sainz. He’s on a very high level speed-wise.”

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Can Lando Norris match Max Verstappen in equal machinery?