Norris backed to vanquish Verstappen and Hamilton with early boost

Lando Norris has been handed an early vote of confidence, with F1 fans believing the McLaren driver will hit the ground running for the season ahead with victory in the Australian Grand Prix.

The 25-year-old comes into the campaign as the bookmakers' favourite to clinch the F1 drivers' championship, and after a strong showing in pre-season testing is predicted to set up his title charge in Melbourne.

In particular, the four-time grand prix winner had impressive pace and metronomic consistency during his main long-run programme at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Last term, the British driver was unable to reel in Max Verstappen, who went on to secure a fourth successive crown. But almost a third of all respondents in a recent poll by RacingNews365 believe he will take an early lead this season.

Just under 23 per cent of voters feel the Dutchman will win at Albert Park, with a shade under 18 per cent backing Lewis Hamilton to win on debut for Ferrari.

Just 2.69 per cent think his former team-mate, George Russell, will reach the top step of the podium, the same percentage of respondents who think the victory will go to a driver outside the top four teams - a more popular option than Liam Lawson and Kimi Antonelli winning combined.

Check out the full results from the latest poll by RacingNews365 below. Let us know what you think in the comments.