Norris underlined that status by holding off Verstappen in the Melbourne rain last Sunday to win the first race of the season. And his McLaren team boss Zak Brown believes Norris now has the nous to beat Verstappen at his own game.
Brown said: "Lando has learned how to race Max. With all the noise last year, Lando was tired of it. He has got his own personality, which people love about him but others see that as a vulnerability.
"He is just an honest guy who doesn't play games.
"This year he is in a different mindset of like, 'No, I can beat...