Lando Norris has been branded "formidable" after holding off a late charge from Max Verstappen to win a chaotic São Paulo Grand Prix, with Anthony Davidson and Damon Hill both hailing the champion's composure in treacherous conditions at Interlagos.
Norris crossed the line 14.602 seconds clear of Verstappen, who recovered from a difficult qualifying session to finish second for Red Bull, with Isack Hadjar completing the podium in third.
The result came after a weekend disrupted by heavy rain, a red-flagged qualifying and aquaplaning on the tricky Interlagos surface, conditions that tested every driver on the grid.
Despite the chaos, Norris delivered one of the drives of his season, according to Davidson.
"He's a formidable world champion," Davidson said on the Sky F1 podcast. "I think he proved to the world why he carries the number one on his car this year in that race in Brazil.
"Because, you know, when the chips are down and the weather's bad, and you've got to be thinking on your feet and living on your senses, he is without doubt one of the best in the business."
"And it's easy to say the McLarens' upgrades, and that's why he was right at the front. But you always have to look at where your teammate is as well.
"And I feel like he was dragging that car around, and we see that from him on a fairly regular basis. He's a joy to watch. He's got such a great style. I really enjoy watching Lando's driving."
Lando Norris 'reminded everyone' why he is a world champion
Hill was equally effusive about the manner in which Norris navigated the weekend, pointing to the conditions as the true measure of his drive.
"Yes, very difficult conditions," Hill said, also on the Sky F1 podcast. "So, a high degree of difficulty and jeopardy, and he managed to keep everything clean through the weekend. And I think he showed his true talent."
"I mean, the feeling I got after watching that race was that he really is a special talent, Lando. I think that was quite obvious in that race, so he's managed to prove it and remind everyone that he was world champion for a reason."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Samuel Coop and Nick Golding as they look back on the São Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil! Max Verstappen’s simply staggering recovery from 21st on the grid is a key talking point, as is Ferrari’s current power unit struggles.
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