Lando Norris has established himself as one of the top talents in Formula 1 after having an exceptional junior career.
The 24-year-old debuted in the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2014 where he finished third, before going on to win the MSA Formula Championship the following year.
In 2016, Norris won two Formula Renault titles and the Toyota Racing Series, before claiming the Formula 3 European title in 2017. Following this incredible success, the Brit drove in Formula 2 with Campos Racing at the final round in Abu Dhabi that year, before joining Carlin full-time for the next season.
Like the other categories he had competed in, Norris’ success was immediate, as he grabbed one win and nine podiums in 2018 to finish second in the standings behind George Russell.
In 2019, Norris made the step to the F1 grid with McLaren and has gone on to seriously impress with the team over the years. In 2024, another young talent is emerging on the scene as a real prospect.
Freddie Slater ‘likened to the next Lando Norris’ after incredible junior career thus far
The BRDC Rookie of the Year Award will see F2 -bound Arvid Lindblad, British F4 champion Deagan Fairclough, GB3 champion Louis Sharp and Italian F4 champion Freddie Slater drive F2, GT3 and LMP3 machinery over two days at Silverstone for a chance to win a test in an Aston Martin F1 car and £200,000.
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Slater is the youngest of the four drivers at just 16 years old, but he has already proven himself to be a serious talent.
The Brit won the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2023 and in 2024, Salter won the Formula 4 UAE title and the Italian F4 Championship, winning the latter in dominant fashion with 13 wins out of 18 races.
The 16-year is participating in the Formula 3 post-season test at Jerez with Rodin Motorsport, and speaking on the Autosport F1 & Motorsport Podcast, chief editor Kevin Turner explained Slater’s likeness to Norris with his achievements thus far.
“I think of the ones he didn’t win, one of them he didn’t start, I think there was another one where he crossed the line first but got disqualified, I can’t remember what it was now.
“We’ve had Jonny Edgar, Ollie Bearman and Lindblad have obviously come through similar sort of routes. Freddie has been kind of likened to the next Lando Norris in that he’s been sensational in whatever he’s got into and he’s well funded, so he can go and do testing.
“He’s absolutely dominated Italian F4. As we record I think he’s leading Euro 4 as well.”
Will Freddie Slater join Formula 3 in 2025?
Slater ended up losing the Euro 4 Championship to Akshay Bohra, but the 16-year-old has more than proven his worth in such a short space of time.
After claiming two F4 titles this season, it is very likely that Slater will be moving up and F3 could be his destination.
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Two days of testing at Jerez with Rodin will prove vital as he can get used to the machinery and test himself against his future competitors.
Slater will be the youngest driver on the grid in 2025 if he is to join the category, but as his record suggests, the Brit will not be a push over and will be looking to fight hard at the front.