Lando Norris believes he and George Russell can take on the “big burden” of representing Britain in Formula 1 after Lewis Hamilton retires.
The pair currently lead the next generation of British drivers, of which there has been 164 in the 70-year history of F1 with 10 going on to be world champions.
Hamilton though is of course by far the most successful with his seven titles and 95 wins, making him statistically the greatest driver of all time.
But with the Mercedes driver seen as entering the twilight of his career, indeed he is still yet to re-sign at the Brackley-based team for 2021 and beyond, it won’t be too long before Norris and Russell will be flying the Union Jack potentially alone.
“I think so. I want to believe in that,” Norris told Sky Sports on if they can shoulder that responsibility.
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“I don’t often believe in myself but I want to believe that in the future years we can lead the way in some ways, not just within Formula 1 but for the UK, for our country.
“Lewis has set a great example for that. I think there’s a lot of things we need to follow that he’s set a very good example of.
“We’ll see. It’s a big burden. He’s a very good figure and a great person. Lewis is a great guy for both myself and George to look up to.”
Both Norris and Russell have certainly shown signs of their potential, the McLaren driver claiming a podium last year and George coming so close to winning with Mercedes in Bahrain.
And for Lando, who will no longer be the youngest driver in F1 this year after the arrival of Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri, he hopes to continue improving alongside new teammate Daniel Ricciardo.
“We talk sometimes, probably not as much as people think,” Norris said on their current relationship. “We’ve had some good battles and with Renault in general.
“We are good mates. We’ve had some good laughs in press conferences and interviews. I’m sure next year and in the future, we will have some good times together.
“But it’s also a good moment for me to learn from him. He’s a multiple race winner, multiple podium sitter and there will be a lot of opportunities for me to make myself a better driver.”