Lando Norris is fourth in the drivers' championship, 12 points behind second-placed Charles Leclerc
The Briton finished just 0.7 seconds behind Verstappen, two weeks after taking his maiden F1 victory in the Miami Grand Prix.
Norris believes his performance at Imola demonstrates that he and McLaren have now established themselves as consistent challengers right at the front of the field.
The 24-year-old Briton said: "Hopefully, it continues like that because it's exciting, it's tough, and it gets you excited every weekend, so I'm looking forward to the next few."
Norris said there was "no reason to deny" that he and McLaren should be able to take the fight to Verstappen at most circuits from now on.
"We also had a second in China (the race before Miami), so we've had second, first, second, you know, and I think that’s a good sign," he said.
Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri added that McLaren should be "confident enough to say wherever we go, we can fight for a win".
-- Courtesy of BBC Sport