Lando Norris braced for 'unique' Max Verstappen F1 fight

Lando Norris believes he is now better prepared to deliver for McLaren in the crunch F1 title moments in the "unique" situation of racing Max Verstappen.

In 2024, Norris challenged for the world championship for the first time, but was found wanting against the then three-time champion Verstappen, who ultimately finished 67 points clear of the Briton.

Norris failed to come out on top in any of the wheel-to-wheel battles against Verstappen, retiring after contact in Austria, and receiving a penalty for overtaking outside of track limits in the United States - both of which allowed Verstappen to extend his lead.

Now armed with the knowledge of what it would take to beat Verstappen, Norris spoke at length about putting this fresh knowledge into practice against the Red Bull racer, who is renowned for "pushing limits and boundaries."

"I learned two big things last year, one was that I wasn't quite ready to deliver on everything that [the team] needed from a racing point of view, and that's just because racing against Max is a unique situation," Norris told media including RacingNews365. 

"I think had it been a battle against other drivers, I don't know if it would have been the same, it definitely, probably, would have been as hard, that is a fair assessment because I do think Max is the hardest guy to race against. 

"He is always going to be the one who is most willing to push the limits and boundaries like he did, and I learned that aspect of Max, and I learned where I stood in that situation, which was not at the right level. 

"I learned from those things and in the last couple of races, I improved a lot in those situations, but every one is different in Formula 1, so even if some of them happen again, it is not always a guarantee I'll make the right decision or Max will make the right decision or any other driver will make the right decision.

"It is tough because you don't make those decisions now, you make them on track half a second before it happens and you don't have a lot of time to think about the whole situation.

"I am excited to have another crack at it and see what I can do and go up against any driver, and I don't think I'm just going to be racing Max this year."