The Brit finished a career-best second in the standings last year but still some 63 points adrift of the Red Bull star.
Their title fight created several flashpoints including a collision in Austria which ended both their chances of victory. Then there was a skirmish in Mexico that saw Verstappen handed 20 seconds' of penalties.
Norris, 25, kept it clean despite those regular run-ins but that led to the McLaren man's critics labelling him too meek.
As he heads into this weekend's Australian Grand Prix and the new F1 championship as favourite to win both, Norris admits he "clearly wasn't ready" to beat Verstappen on track last term.
But now he's had a taste of how the four-time champion operates, he has declared himself fully prepared for the fight.
Norris said: "I do think Max will be the hardest guy to race against. He's always going to be the one who's going to be most willing to push the limits and push the boundaries like he did.
"I learned that aspect of Max and I learned where I stood, which was not at the right level. I'm just excited to have another crack at it and see what I can do."
McLaren's teams' championship win last December and their strong pace in testing have cemented Norris as the bookies' favourite for glory this year.
Few would rush to rule out Verstappen who is gunning for five titles in a row, a feat managed only once before by Michael Schu...
Their title fight created several flashpoints including a collision in Austria which ended both their chances of victory. Then there was a skirmish in Mexico that saw Verstappen handed 20 seconds' of penalties.
Norris, 25, kept it clean despite those regular run-ins but that led to the McLaren man's critics labelling him too meek.
As he heads into this weekend's Australian Grand Prix and the new F1 championship as favourite to win both, Norris admits he "clearly wasn't ready" to beat Verstappen on track last term.
But now he's had a taste of how the four-time champion operates, he has declared himself fully prepared for the fight.
Norris said: "I do think Max will be the hardest guy to race against. He's always going to be the one who's going to be most willing to push the limits and push the boundaries like he did.
"I learned that aspect of Max and I learned where I stood, which was not at the right level. I'm just excited to have another crack at it and see what I can do."
McLaren's teams' championship win last December and their strong pace in testing have cemented Norris as the bookies' favourite for glory this year.
Few would rush to rule out Verstappen who is gunning for five titles in a row, a feat managed only once before by Michael Schu...
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Daily Record (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 15, 2025