Norris is not afraid of Verstappen, but did not want to be his teammate

Norris has been linked with a seat at Red Bull Racing several times in recent years. Last year, the rumours were strongest and Norris also spoke to Christian Horner. However, the Red Bull Racing team boss could not tempt the Briton to make the switch and Norris signed a new deal at McLaren.

As Norris did not seize the opportunity to step in alongside Verstappen, he was labelled by some as 'scared'. The McLaren driver disagrees. "I believe I can achieve a championship at McLaren, that’s why I signed another contract," the Briton states to The Guardian.

Why doesn't Norris would like to become Verstappen's teammate

"I absolutely think I can go up against Max and give him a good challenge. But I also rate Max, so for anyone it’s extremely difficult to go up against Max in his team and challenge him for a world championship. He could have moved to Mercedes back in the day and gone up against Lewis [Hamilton] but would it have been a smart idea to have done that? Probably not and he probably wouldn’t be in a Red Bull now and it would be a different story."

"I am not afraid in any way of Max, I’m excited to be against Max. People rate him as up with the best, so I would like to prove myself by going up against that. I look forward to being able to battle him, but genuinely for position and not have him half a second a lap quicker and just drive past me.''

Despite Sergio Perez's expiring contract and unrest within Red Bull Racing, Norris does not seem to suddently decided on leaving McLaren. The British team are on the rise and Norris signed a new multi-year deal in early 2024. His old contract ran until the end of the 2024 season.