Norris invites Verstappen to test McLaren F1 car

Lando Norris has invited Max Verstappen to test McLaren's F1 car but is confident there will be "disappointment" on the face of the Red Bull driver.

After winning in Japan last time out against the odds, Verstappen declared that if he had been driving the MCL39 of Norris and Oscar Piastri he wouldn't have been "seen", such is the perceived speed of the McLaren. 

Heading to round four in Bahrain, Norris is a single point clear of Verstappen in the drivers' championship. The Dutchman has won in Sakhir for the past two seasons.

However, Norris has dismissed Verstappen's perception that the MCL39 is a far superior package to the currently-troubled RB21.

"I don’t mind, he can say what he wants," Norris told media in Bahrain. 

"I don’t care, honestly. Everyone can say what they want and believe what they want.

“I believe both Oscar and myself are good drivers. He is maybe better at some things but he is not better in every area.

“I have a lot of respect for Max but I also know some things are not true, he can come and test our car any day that he wants and I’ll be excited to see the disappointment on his face after he gets out."

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Norris on McLaren vs Red Bull

Remarkably, McLaren has never won the Bahrain GP. Its last podium was third for Lewis Hamilton in 2010, since when it has struggled at the Sakhir track.

Norris did acknowledge the McLaren package is a "quick" car as he also called on the team to improve its performance in "certain areas".

Despite the speed in his package, Norris felt Red Bull was still performing well in overcoming the self-diagnosed problems the team claims to be facing. 

“It’s been a good start, I’m still leading. Could things have been slightly better, yes, but they’re not," he added.

“Max and Red Bull have done a good job with a car they say they’ve been struggling with. But in the same case we know our struggles, we know how tricky our car is to drive.

“It’s quick, and we acknowledge all of these things and the stuff people say, but we’ve also made some mistakes and we know we have to improve in certain areas.”