Norris: Not a smart move to take on Verstappen at Red Bull

McLaren announced last week that Norris has signed a contract extension for several years beyond his current contract that expires in 2025.

That means the Briton will continue racing for the Woking squad in 2026, when Formula 1 enters a new era of power units and cars, and while some consider the contract renewal a natural decision, others feel Norris is being complacent, remaining within his comfort zone.

Red Bull's Christian Horner revealed he is keeping an eye on Norris for the future, which raised the question why a move to the reigning World Champions was not pursued.

Norris recently said he had talks with other teams that did not reach any conclusions, insisting he is committed to McLaren.

However in the interview with Sky Sports News, the elephant in the room was addressed, in other words, is Norris scared to take on Verstappen at Red Bull.

"Is Max one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1? Absolutely. I think he's proved that enough," the 24-year started his answer.

"He's in a team which he's very comfortable in, a lot of things are built up around him, 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 insisted.

"But even if you enter a team are you in a position to challenge someone straight away and are you comfortable to do 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. It's not a smart move to do.

"But I would love to race against Max. I've enjoyed some of the battles that we've had and looking even more forward to the battles that we're going to have this year," the McLaren star concluded.