Former world champion Damon Hill has urged Lando Norris to be ‘less nice’ following his latest battle with Max Verstappen during the Miami GP. The Briton was stuck behind the Red Bull driver for several laps, losing significant time to teammate Oscar Piastri. By the time Norris managed to overtake Verstappen, Piastri had already built a nine-second lead, effectively deciding the race.
Lando Norris’s troubles began in the opening lap; after a collision with Verstappen, he fell from the second starting position to sixth place. Norris attempted a few aggressive maneuvers, but was unable to pass Verstappen. He made a move in turn eleven, but a braking error forced him to relinquish the position.
‘It’s Not About Being Nice’
It was only in the eighteenth round that Norris secured the second position – by that time, Oscar Piastri had already disappeared from view. Towards the end of the race, the Brit reduced the gap to four seconds, but it was not enough to deny Piastri his third consecutive victory. In the F1 Chequered Flag podcast, Lando Norris received advice from former champion Damon Hill for future duels with Max Verstappen. “A penny has to drop,” said Hill. “I think back to the fight in Austria last year. He made himself vulnerable and came off worse. He makes comments like: ‘I still want to win, but I also want to be a nice guy.’ But it’s not about being nice. You have to be effective.”
“With someone like Max Verstappen, you have to be clinical, because he’s not going to give you anything,” the Brit continued. “Now he,” Hill referred to Norris, “also has to face Piastri, whose racing skills are effective against a Verstappen.” Norris is currently second in the world championship, sixteen points behind his teammate. Max Verstappen follows in third place; the difference there is also sixteen points.
