Norris flirted last season in a title battle with Verstappen, but in the end it was short. The advantages built in the first five races that Red Bull Driver dominated were too big to close.
The 25-year-old British man said:
“That’s because racing with Max is a unique situation and you won’t be able to experience it in any other way of life until you truly reach that point.
“If it was a fight with different drivers, I don’t know if it was the same, and it probably wasn’t that difficult.
“That’s probably a fair assessment because I think Max is probably the hardest man to play against. He’s always the most pleased to push boundaries and push boundaries like he is. So I’ve learned the aspect of Max.
“And I learned where I was standing in such a situation, but it wasn’t on the right level. And I learned from those things. And I’ve already been in the last few races and I’ve improved a lot of those situations.”
Norris said he believes he is in a better position this year to compete strong throughout the season.
“I have another crack in it and I’m excited to see what I can do and go up for any driver,” he said.
“I don’t think I’ll just race Max this year. I think I’ll be Charles. [Leclerc]Lewis [Hamilton]. It’ll be an Oscar [Piastri, Norris’ McLaren team-mate].
“It’s a Red Bull driver and a Mercedes driver, so I look forward to all the fights. And of course, there’s a better war for us, the more we can get on track between the others.”
Verstappen, who is aiming to win five consecutive driver titles, said he is interested in the pace McLaren has shown in Tests.
“We know it’s not the fastest at this point,” said the 27-year-old Dutchman. “But it’s a very long season and a lot of things can change very quickly.
“I am pretty pleased with how our testing went, and it will certainly be an interesting weekend.
