Verstappen doesn't surprise Norris: 'Don't need people to tell me how good he is'

Lando Norris saw Max Verstappen take the chequeared flag ahead of him in the Japanese Grand Prix, a feat no doubt, but one that doesn't surprise the Briton, since 'he knows how good the Dutchman is.'

Is Verstappen's win in Japan enough to make Norris consider the Dutchman a threat to his championship bid?

"Yeah. I don't know, I feel like I get a lot of questions like, 'are you surprised [by] Max when he does a day like yesterday or a race like today?', and, I guess people always expect me to say yes, but I don't think there is a reason to be. I don't think I ever have," said Norris during the FIA post race press conference.

'I don't need anyone to tell me how good Verstappen is'

"I've always had a lot of respect for Max. There's those moments that when you're in the car, and when you're driving, you know what is good and what is not, and I don't need anyone to tell me what Max is capable of doing or, whether I should think this or that."

"I know how good he's been since, you know, we shook hands back in 2015 or something 14, and I was half the height I am now."

Norris, then, admits he is not surprised when Verstappen pulls a weekend out of the bag like he did in Japan. "So I would say nothing is a surprise anymore, but, yeah, I still believe that, we're gonna have some good races and we can go toe to toe and that, some days he'll come out on top and others I will."