Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Steven Tee's stellar career as a premier-class Formula 1 photographer spans four decades, and the thread that runs through those years is the working relationships he formed with an elite group of top drivers: Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, and now Lando Norris.

"I joined F1 from Formula 3 the same year Senna did, in 1984," says Steven. "Then he joined Lotus the year after and they were a client of my company LAT, so I had a lot of contact with him at that stage. Then in 1991, we were working for Benetton when Michael Schumacher joined the team and I worked with him through his first two world championships. Then, Fernando Alonso, I met for the first time at [then-Renault boss] Flavio Briatore’s amazing house in Kenya where we did a training camp before Christmas. He was to be announced as the Renault test driver [in 2002], so I've known him all the way through."

Steven's subsequent work as McLaren’s photographer allowed him a close-up view of Hamilton during his six years at the team, and now he is witnessing first-hand the blossoming of another exciting young talent in Norris. So what has he seen that binds such talents in common?

"All of them have this ability to just focus on what they are doing," says Steven. "Ayrton was a classic example: if you saw him at the race track and you were working in the garage, you'd get a degree of openness but no response. You wouldn't expect to have a conversation with him. The only time he'd ever speak to you was to ask 'where were you during that session'. You'd say which corner you were at and he'd ask 'how did I look there compared to the others?'. It was all very workmanlike. But if you bumped into him at an airport, as we often did in those days, he’d be a lot more chatty. Michael similarly. He was very driven and focused, as are Fernando and Lewis."

Does he see the same traits in Norris? "Yes, Lando is beginning to lock that down a bit more too. He's still open and refreshing, which is why he's so popular, but he's getting a more steely edge to him. He's definitely a different Lando from when he first joined the team. But he was 18 then and now he’s 22. I think he's got what it takes to join that group. I'm not necessarily saying he’s going to be as great as Senna, Schumacher, and Hamilton, but he's got that ability to win races and world championships."

In his first full season, Steven captured one of F1's most iconic images when Lotus chief Peter Warr welcomed Senna back with open arms after his maiden Grand Prix victory in the rain at Estoril. He is also the photographer behind the stunning image of Benetton mechanic Paul Seaby on fire during Jos Verstappen's dramatic pitstop at Hockenheim in 1994. Today, the life of an F1 photographer has "absolutely changed beyond recognition" because of the rapid development of digital technology and the instant demands of social media. But Steven has been more than happy to move with the times. "As someone who has done it for four decades, it would be terrible if it was still the same!" he laughs. "Developments keep it interesting and I’m really pleased with the way my job is changing."