Max Verstappen is expecting many more battles with friend and rival Lando Norris.

At the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Verstappen finished fifth, just ahead of Norris, securing his fourth world title with two races remaining. Verstappen ended the race with a 63-point lead over Norris, who has been his closest rival throughout the season.

“We have a lot of incredible young talent in the sport, and Lando is certainly one of them,” Verstappen admitted. “At times, he made it really difficult for me. There were many races where we just didn’t have an answer to their speed, and they were clearly faster. That made things challenging.”

“But to win a championship, consistency is key,” he continued. “Sometimes you aim to overperform, and while it doesn’t happen every weekend, we managed to do it when it mattered most. McLaren is incredibly strong at the moment, and of course, Lando and I have known each other for a long time. Racing against a friend for the title adds a different dynamic. But we have a lot of respect for each other, and I’m sure we’ll have many more battles in the future.”

When asked if he ever thought Norris had a better shot at the title, Verstappen responded, “From Miami onwards, we weren’t the fastest most of the time. And Miami was still quite early in the season. A 50 or 60-point gap can easily be overcome if you keep maximizing results and avoid mistakes. I’ve been in that situation myself, being 30 or 40 points down in 2022. Anything is possible, so I kept that in mind. But at the same time, I focused on what I could control within the team and gave my best every weekend.”

Looking ahead to next season, Verstappen added, “I expect next year to be a proper battle with many teams involved, but I’m still hungry for more success.”