Lando Norris once snubbed every Formula 1 driver when naming his racing GOAT

Lando Norris once named Valentino Rossi as the best of all time

Norris was asked in an interview for the Drivers on Drivers book which driver is the best of all time and why.

He replied: “I have no opinion here. If it were a rider, not a driver, it would be Valentino Rossi!”

When asked which driver he’s raced against has stood out back in 2021, Norris continued: “Carlos Sainz, because he’s the first proper Formula 1 driver I got to work with.

“He’s an extremely good driver, and seeing both how he works and actually working alongside him helped me a lot,” Norris answered.

“I think he’s very good in all areas, and so he was a good example.”

When Rossi decided to retire from MotoGP at the end of the 2021 season, he texted Norris, who said, via F1’s official website: “Funnily enough, he sent me a message last night, just because he’s going into… the final race of his career.

“I mean, it’s sad times, I’m still going to try and watch as many MotoGP races as I can, and he was the guy I watched when I was what, four, five, six years-old?

“He got me into racing and got me onto a motorbike first so yes, he’s been the guy that I’ve looked up to, the guy that I guess has kind of helped me get to this position where I am because probably without watching him, my ambition of being a racing driver wouldn’t have been so high so yes, I’m going to miss it.”

Lando Norris provides exciting verdict on Cadillac F1 test driver Colton Herta

The British driver was then asked about his best teammate at that point in his career, and his answer will excite Cadillac F1 fans.

As well as calling him the ‘bravest driver’ he knew, Norris named IndyCar star Colton Herta and said: “I have had one ‘best’ teammate. Every teammate I’ve had, I’ve got along with since the very beginning.

“I’ve had many teammates, but one of the best has been Colton Herta, who I raced alongside in British F4, and now he’s in IndyCar.

“He’s a very good driver and one of the first single-seater teammates that I had. He’s gone on to do really great things, and we were really good mates when he was living in the UK.”

Herta is competing in Formula 2 this year in the hopes of earning enough superlicense points to race in F1.

Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas have contracts with Cadillac until the end of the 2027 season, so Herta will be hoping he’s ready to step up to the Formula 1 grid to race against Norris again in 2028.