Felipe Massa picks Lando Norris over Lewis Hamilton as ideal teammate for Max Verstappen

Former F1 driver Felipe Massa picked Lando Norris over Lewis Hamilton as the ideal partner for Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

Massa, who retired from F1 at the end of 2018, pointed out that putting Verstappen and Hamilton on the same team would not work as they would destroy the team in their bid to outrace each other.

While appearing on the Track Limits podcast, the Brazilian stated that an F1 team pairing was dependant on teamwork and asserted that the Dutchman and the Briton would always be butting heads.

“That’s really hard because, in the end, you need to have two drivers that work well with the team. So for sure, if you put Max and Lewis [together], everybody would say, ‘Oh, I want to have Max and Lewis!’ It would not work because, in the end, they would fight, they would destroy the relationship, they would destroy the team and it would not work,” he said.

Massa stated that Norris and Verstappen may work well together, but warned that their dynamic may change if they start fighting for titles and wins.

“So, who will be the two drivers? Maybe Max and Lando Norris. I don’t know how the relationship will be, because one needs to win. But it’s two drivers that I really enjoy and I really like,” he said.

Red Bull team boss speaks on Max Verstappen's skills in race management

Red Bull Team Principal Christain Horner stated that Max Verstappen has really grown in terms of managing and reading the race.

Speaking with Motorsport.com, Horner said that the three-time world champion has matured in his approach to tackling races.

“I think that everybody manages their pace differently in a race, but I think Max has become so good at reading a race. He doesn't panic if he sees someone taking time out of him in the middle sector or whatever. That’s because he's looking at the long game," he said.

Horner stated that Verstappen's confidence has grown gradually over the years.

“And I think he's just got that inner confidence that he knows where he is. 2019, I think it was during that period he really, really stepped it up. Then ’19 into '20 to a degree. Mercedes had a rocketship in '20, but we were still able to win some races that year. And then obviously '21 was massive.”

The 26-year-old is surely becoming one of the most complete drivers in the sport's history, not just in terms of records but his race assessment. Since joining the Austrian team, the Dutchman has truly grown by leaps and bounds and matured even further after winning world titles in three consecutive years.