Despite holding a commanding 78-point lead at the top of the drivers' standings, Verstappen has been far from his dominant best.
After making a strong start to the campaign, the 26-year-old has now failed to win on each of his previous four outings.
Norris fails to rule out future collisions
McLaren racer Lando Norris has emerged as the main challenger to Verstappen's throne after stringing together an impressive run of results.
The Brit has achieved seven podium finishes so far, and clinched his maiden F1 victory in Miami at the expense of his new rival.
However, there have been a number of missed opportunities for the 24-year-old to reflect on, including at the Belgian Grand Prix last time out, where he finished one place behind Verstappen despite starting the race six places ahead on the grid.
The pair have also been involved in a number of dramatic incidents in 2024, most notably in Austria, when a late collision between the two forced Norris to retire from the race when a victory was well within his grasp.
Speaking to RacingNews365, Norris has admitted that he expects the duo to be going wheel-to-wheel for many years to come, adding that future crashes between the close friends are inevitable.
“I expect to crash more in the future with different people, with Max,” Norris said.
“Not because it's an expectation of I expect to crash with them - it's just those scenarios and circumstances always happen.
“With another five or 10 years in F1, you're going to have those situations at some point.”