A "hungry" Lando Norris has been tipped to continue to take the F1 fight to the "astonishing" Max Verstappen by former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond.
Norris has emerged as Verstappen's closest challenger since the Chinese Grand Prix, with the two finishing one-two five times in the eight races since, with Norris claiming a maiden grand prix in Miami.
The two infamously collided whilst battling late on for the lead of the Austrian GP, although both were keen to downplay the incident and maintain their friendship when asked about it at the following race at Silverstone.
Norris is currently 86 points behind Verstappen in the drivers' standings, but the McLaren MCL38 is widely regarded as the fastest car in F1, with Red Bull struggling with upgrades over the past few races.
Speaking exclusively to RacingNews365, former Top Gear presenter Hammond spoke warmly of Norris' ability to fight Verstappen.
"You want drivers snapping at each other's heels," Hammond explained at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
"He is fulfilling that role, and doing it incredibly well.
"He is young, energetic and hungry as hell."
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Hammond hails 'astonishing' Verstappen
Hammond, who famously drove Fernando Alonso's 2005 championship-winning Renault R25 V10 on Top Gear, has developed a new interest in F1, and was full of praise for three-time world champion Verstappen.
"I'm actually engaging with it at last mostly because my daughter is he has fallen in love with it," he said.
"There's excitement and thrill in the racing and I am starting to realise how much more there is beyond what you immediately see on the track.
"Max is an astonishing talent.
"I love to see a natural driver and there's a degree to which people can learn and do it in training or practice, but then sometimes there is just natural talent that is there."
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