Lewis Hamilton fuels Lando Norris suspicion: 'Pretty unbelievable'

Lando Norris has credited Lewis Hamilton's form at the age of 41 with convincing him that he can "still fight for many, many more years" after watching the seven-time F1 champion pass 400 grands prix.

Hamilton reached the milestone at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday with Ferrari, becoming only the second driver in Formula 1 history to do so after Fernando Alonso.

Where the Spaniard achieved his feat across two separate spells following a two-year hiatus between 2019 and 2020, Hamilton has done it in an unbroken run of 20 consecutive seasons.

Asked about Hamilton's longevity, Norris said he found it remarkable that his fellow Briton was still competing at the sharp end so deep into his career.

"It's pretty unbelievable what he's been able to do for such a long time, even to now," said McLaren driver Norris.

"To see him fighting against Charles [Leclerc], and I think Charles is easily one of the best on the grid, insanely quick, and the fact that Lewis is still giving him a good fight, especially this year, it's been pretty...

"Everyone's enjoyed the fact he was able to give Charles a better performance, not just give his teammate a better performance, but also look like he was getting more out of the car and achieving better results every time."

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Norris - Hamilton 'a good inspiration'

Before this season, under the new regulations, it is well documented how Hamilton struggled to get to grips with the ground-effect era, leading many to suspect he was past his peak. There were those who suggested he should retire.

But Hamilton has fought back this year, ending a near two-year winless drought by taking the chequered flag in Barcelona, playing a part in a five-way fight in the drivers' standings as to who finishes runner-up behind new champion Kimi Antonelli.

Appreciating what Hamilton went through from 2022-2025, and where he is now, Norris said: "Certainly, he seemed not to like the previous few years as much, the last few years of the cars that we had with those regulations.

"But it seems he's back to normal in terms of fighting at the front and proving that he's one of the best out there.

"So I think it's a pretty incredible achievement for him to fight for this long. He's a good inspiration for many of us.

"I certainly don't think I'm going that far, but it's a good thing to look forward to in terms of my career.

"I know I was happy with one championship, but when I look at Lewis, he makes me not very happy to have only won one championship, but that's in a good way."

Norris, who won his own maiden title last year at the age of 26, said Hamilton's example had reshaped his outlook on how long he might be able to compete for additional titles.

"I can look at him and see him at his age, in his form, and it makes me believe more than ever that I can fight for many, many more years, and that's something I look forward to doing," said Norris.