Carlos Sainz picks Lando Norris over Max Verstappen as the faster driver over one lap

Williams driver Carlos Sainz has deemed Lando Norris the fastest driver in comparison to Max Verstappen in terms of one-lap pace in Formula 1. Sainz has even dropped the name of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in this debate.

Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Charles Leclerc are all prolific qualifiers. In their respective careers so far, they have often displayed their prowess when it comes to one-lap pace.

However, Carlos Sainz believes that McLaren's Lando Norris is currently the fastest driver over one lap, whereas Max Verstappen is the fastest in race trim. In line with this, the Spaniard recently had an interaction with El Partidazo de COPE, and added:

"The fastest in the race or over one lap? Over one lap, Charles. It would be between Charles and Lando. Over the race, Max."

Interestingly, while Carlos Sainz has deemed Lando Norris the fastest driver over one-lap pace in Formula 1, the latter is currently trailing 10-8 in the 2025 head-to-head battle against teammate Oscar Piastri.

Max Verstappen, on the other hand, is comfortably leading the head-to-head against Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda (16-0). Moreover, when it comes to the overall pole position statistics, the 2025 F1 season is 18 rounds down, and Verstappen is leading with six in comparison to Oscar Piastri's five and Norris' four.

F1 pundit wants to see Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri 'duke it out' for 2025 championship

F1 Grand Prix Of Singapore - Source: Getty

While Lando Norris is viewed by Carlos Sainz as the fastest qualifier in Formula 1, the former and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri are having a cut-throat battle for the 2025 drivers' championship. They even had a slight contact during the Singapore GP.

After the first 18 rounds, the gap between the two is not huge, and Piastri leading. As things stand, Norris has so far amassed 314 points in comparison to Piastri's 336.

Looking at how the campaign has panned out so far, F1 pundit Martin Brundle has urged the decision makers at McLaren to let their drivers 'duke it out'. In line with this, Brundle has added the following via his Sky Sports F1 column:

"Perhaps McLaren should now just let their two drivers duke it out, gloves off, between themselves with zero interference. Any nuclear fallout will be tempered by the need to finish races, score points, avoid FIA in-race penalties, avoid Verstappen catching the pair of them, and running out of the latest specification of parts as the team focuses on 2026."

Only six races are remaining in the 2025 F1 season. The gap between Norris and Piastri is small, and neither of them can afford any major mistakes going forward. Next up on the race calendar is the United States Grand Prix (17-19 October).