Silverstone stages the latest test of friendship for Lando and Max as Brit eyes glory

NOT since the highly contentious Abu Dhabi Grand Prix battle royal between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen brought the curtain down on the 2021 Formula One season has the sport had a proper rivalry.

- Matt Majendie

Instead, drivers and teams have been left scratching their heads wondering how to stop Verstappen disappearing into the distance or, more pertinently, at least somehow reduce that gap.

A suitor has emerged to be the Dutchman’s long-term rival in recent weeks, though, making each weekend’s racing — this time the calendar turns to the British Grand Prix — far more salivating than it has been for some time.

Lando Norris will race at Silverstone in the belief that he can beat the championship leader. In five of his past seven races, the young Briton has finished in the top two, the anomalies being his fourth place at Monaco and being driven out of the race by his title rival last weekend in Austria.

The pair enjoy a good friendship off the track, and yet F1 has seen so many relationships crumble, notably more recently that of childhood friends and then Mercedes team-mates Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, who still do not speak since their tense 2016 championship tussle.