Norris lacks the 'killer instinct' of Verstappen and Hamilton

At McLaren, they were grateful with Lando Norris. The Briton had shown himself to be a worthy team player by letting Oscar Piastri through in the closing stages of the Hungarian GP after all, giving him victory. Controversial though. After all, Norris had done nothing wrong. He had obeyed the pit wall when he needed to go into the pits and had driven two great stints. The fact he was ahead of Piastri was not Norris' fault.

Yet Norris conceded due to the McLaren pit wall's words. His race engineer repeatedly stressed that Norris would lose the team's support if he did not comply with the team order. Piastri had done so much for him in the past. Now, it was Norris' turn to give something back.

Why Norris is not yet at Verstappen's level

The words proved enough to make Norris snap. McLaren should never have put him in this position, but it also says something about Norris. Yes, it is admirable that he is the 'team player' in such a situation and gives up victory, but you can also approach it differently. Namely, Norris simply lacks the killer instinct that has so typified the great champions.

Because whether you had presented Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso or Michael Schumacher with this situation, none of them would have given up the position. To the outside world, then, those drivers are often seen as selfish, but you have to be. F1 is partly a team sport but also an individual sport when it comes to a drivers' championship. In that championship, Norris now gave up seven points.

After the Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen was portrayed as an angry man and a spoiled child, with all his 'whining' over the team radio. Hamilton was often given the same accusation if he still complained about a strange feeling in the car in the lead of the race. That perfectionism and wanting to do everything to win, at all costs, is what makes them multiple world champions, and Norris not (yet) one.