Norris denies fearing Verstappen: 'Just not a smart move'

For a while it seemed a realistic scenario: Lando Norris filling the second seat next to Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing. Yet the 24-year-old Briton chose to remain loyal to McLaren, where he recently signed a multi-year contract extension. Norris explains why he felt it was "not a good move" to go to Red Bull.

Norris not afraid of Verstappen

Asked by Sky Sports whether he wouldn't dare be in a team with Verstappen, Norris replied: "I think it's a longer discussion than just saying that. Is Max one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1? Absolutely. I think he's proved that enough. He's in a team which he's very comfortable in. A lot of things are built up around him."

He continued: "So for anyone, even a Max of a few years ago, to go in against the Max of now is extremely difficult. So I don't think it's a question of are you scared or not scared. I don't think I'd ever be scared of going against anyone."

Norris: "Any driver would say 'no' to that"

However, the question, according to Norris, is whether, as a driver at a new team, you are immediately able to challenge your teammate and whether you are comfortable with that. "I think it's a no for any driver. It takes time to adapt and it takes time to get into place. And if you want to go against the best driver in the world, it's not the best thing to do," he continued.

"It's not a smart move to do. But I would love to race against Max. I've enjoyed some of our battles that we've had and I'm looking even more forward to the battles that we're going to have this year," the McLaren driver said.