Norris: Verstappen 'more of a racer' than Hamilton

McLaren driver Lando Norris reckons that Max Verstappen's uncanny ability to pull off spectacular moves against his rivals makes him more of a "racer" than Lewis Hamilton.

Verstappen became a favourite with F1's fans when he graduated to the sport with Toro Rosso in 2015, the young Dutchman showing impressive flair and bravery during his wheel-to-wheel fights, although his audacity has since landed him in hot water with the stewards on multiple occasions.

Norris hopes this season will see a full-blown on track battle between Verstappen's daring determination and Hamilton's own outstanding, albeit less spectacular, skills.

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"Max is more of a racer than Lewis," Norris told PA Sport. "He wins by making those moves and puts everything on the line.

"Lewis has spent a lot of years against decent drivers. He is very good in qualifying.

"He nails the laps and then he nails the race. But you never see him making these amazing overtakes – probably because he is always at the front – yet you see that from Max.

"Both drivers have strengths, albeit in slightly different areas. It would be great to see them go head-to-head this year. They are the two that are proving themselves at the moment."

Norris acknowledged Mercedes' relentless and successful quest for excellence that has delivered six consecutive world titles to the Silver Arrows outfit since 2014.

Yet the McLaren charger, like the majority of F1's fans, laments the German squad's supremacy. But Norris also recognizes that Mercedes' adversaries need to do better.

"I know a lot of people who don’t watch Formula 1 because all they see is a Mercedes winning and it looks boring from the outside," he added.

"I hope it doesn’t happen this year, but it is likely it will. It is a shame and it is bad but what can you do about it?

"There are so many little things that Mercedes have worked so hard on, like the steering wheel. They come up with these ideas which are just insane and you have to say hats off.

"Everyone else needs to do a better job and catch up."

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