Lando Norris discounts Oscar Piastri when naming the ‘hardest’ driver on the Formula 1 grid to race against

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McLaren star Lando Norris is currently taking on the most important battle of his burgeoning Formula 1 career.

After five seasons of impressing in a McLaren team on the rise, suddenly Lando Norris is potentially six race weekends away from winning his first world championship.

However, the young Brit is trying to achieve that feat in arguably the most difficult circumstances possible in recent memory.

In the past, there’s either been one team dominating the sport – and they’ve typically had an obvious lead driver – or two teams going head-to-head throughout the year.

This season has seen four different manufacturers and seven different drivers all stand on the top step of the podium.

Norris has, therefore, had to deal with the likes of Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc and both Mercedes drivers spoiling his chances of closing the gap at the top of the Drivers’ Championship even though Red Bull have been struggling recently.

The British driver spoke to The Athletic during the autumn break about his season and the all-important run-in to Abu Dhabi where he could be in a position to win his first title.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from height and parents to celebration

He covered a wide range of topics, including his battle with Max Verstappen.

Verstappen has a 52-point lead over Norris and four more race victories so far this year.

However, the Dutchman hasn’t won since the Spanish Grand Prix and even though Red Bull are preparing major upgrades for the next race in Austin, that doesn’t guarantee the 27-year-old any future success.

Norris has had some brilliant battles this season, but admits that racing Verstappen is more challenging than any other driver on the grid.

Considering there are two former world champions in the paddock and his teammate is no slouch, it highlights Verstappen’s reputation among his fellow racers.

Lando Norris says Max Verstappen is the ‘hardest guy’ to race in F1

Talking about his championship rival, Norris said: “Max is probably the hardest guy to race on the track.

“He’s probably one of the most aware in terms of situations.

“And helped by him being in this position for the last four or five years. For me, it’s still quite new.”

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

When asked about their battle in Austria, Norris continued: “Things didn’t end the way I wanted them to.

“And I still feel like on that Sunday, I probably won the battle of … taking the fight to him, although I didn’t win who came out on top that day.”

Lando Norris confident in McLaren’s ability vs Red Bull in F1 title fight

Verstappen’s Formula 1 pedigree makes him one of the most challenging drivers to come up against in a head-to-head battle as he can be unrelenting on the track.

As he has shown throughout his time with Red Bull, he’s capable of extracting the maximum performance out of whatever car he’s driving, even if it isn’t to his liking.

While Sergio Perez struggled in Singapore, Verstappen delivered a phenomenal lap in Q3 to start on the front row of the grid and minimised the damage Norris could do to his lead in the Drivers’ Championship.

Norris has admitted that he’s confident in McLaren’s ability to develop a car compared to Red Bull and that could be pivotal during the final six races of the season.

Team principal Andrea Stella has had to make some tough calls on McLaren’s updates this year and so far, those decisions have been correct.

If Red Bull do take a step forward in Austin, then all of a sudden Stella, Norris and Piastri have to decide whether to stick or twist on their car’s development.