Damon Hill dubbed Lando Norris “a force” in terms of his talent, but added he fell into a “trap” last season while battling Max Verstappen.

Norris won his first career Grands Prix while being the nearest challenger to Verstappen in the fight for the Drivers’ title, but it was ultimately the Red Bull driver who prevailed with two races to spare to win his fourth championship in succession.

Hill reveals Lando Norris ‘trap’ from Max Verstappen combat

The McLaren driver heads into the year wanting to win his first World Championship, but knows he will have to overcome multiple close on-track rivals, and in Verstappen, the pair maintain a friendly off-track relationship.

But within that, 1996 World Champion Hill explained that because the pair are friends away from the circuit, he believes Norris thought he was going up against his friend Max Verstappen on the circuit, rather than the driver underneath the helmet.

“I still think he can beat Oscar [Piastri],” Hill said of Norris to Mail Sport.

“Oscar is brilliant, but Lando has pulled out a bit extra when needed. Oscar is talented but Lando is a force.

“I think he fell into the trap last year of thinking when going up against Max that he was racing against his mate. Actually, despite their friendship, he was taking on his worst enemy. And in Max’s mind when he is driving there is just Max.

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“Lando blames himself when he makes mistakes. He is very hard on himself. He is not happy if he doesn’t think he has got 100 per cent out of his potential. It is a hallmark of a great driver. I also like his personality. It is very appealing.

“Because I live in Guildford, McLaren are my local team. I would like to see them do well, but not to be dominant. I would prefer it to be a hard fight, good for the fans.

“Formula 1 is so much more complex than when I was driving. It was relatively simple then. You would get radio messages occasionally, but often nobody had any idea of what to say to help.

“Now the information comes quick and fast. Lando is one of those drivers who can take in the information without missing a beat.”

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