F1 pundit picks one driver who could give Max Verstappen a proper fight

F1 pundit Anthony Davidson reckons Lando Norris could match Max Verstappen's pace and challenge him properly. The McLaren driver has impressed many over the years with his consistency and great performances. He has already bagged four podium finishes, despite his team having a slow start in the 2023 F1 season.

Speaking to Sky F1, Davidson stated that he would love to see Lando Norris in the second Red Bull car, alongside Max Verstappen. He believes that the British driver can put up a strong fight against the two-time world champion.

Later on, he praised Norris for a brilliant drive in the 2023 F1 Japanese GP. Even though he was unable to catch Verstappen's RB19, he squeezed every bit of power out of his McLaren MCL60.

He said:

“Lando Norris, what can you say about him? I’d love to see him in the other car at Red Bull, giving this man [Verstappen] a proper fight, because I think he would. A great race by Lando today had such speed, but nobody could touch Max Verstappen. He had the car to do it, and he utilised it well.”

Of course, there have been several rumors about Lando Norris going to Red Bull and how he would fare against Max Verstappen. Since the two are good friends off the track, their chemistry and relationship might be good, but fans will be more interested in seeing how Norris holds up against the Dutchman.

Despite all this, it must be emphasized that Lando Norris is currently fully committed to McLaren, while Red Bull will still keep Sergio Perez for the 2024 F1 season. Only time will tell whether Norris and Verstappen will ever be teammates or not.

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Max Verstappen explains his initial battle with McLaren drivers in Japanese GP

Max Verstappen recently dove deep into the details of his thrilling but short battle with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at the start of the 2023 F1 Japanese GP. Both McLaren drivers were quick to jump onto Verstappen as soon as the race began.

Speaking to F1, the Red Bull star explained the battle in detail and what he was thinking during it, saying:

“I saw in the right mirror that Oscar had a little bit of a jump on me, but at the same time I saw in the left mirror that Lando had a real jump on me. And then I tried to of course close off Oscar, but he was still there, and I saw on the left side Lando coming with a lot more speed.

"He then moved a bit to the right, and I was like, I can’t go more to the right! So I was trying to get straight. Luckily, of course, nothing happened.

“And then we had a good battle into Turn 1, into Turn 2. I was lucky I think there was a bit more grip in Turn 2 on the normal line instead of trying to go around the outside.”

In the end, Max Verstappen won the race by several seconds, while Lando Norris finished second, and Oscar Piastri got his first podium finish in Formula 1 by finishing third.