Lando Norris shares insights on what it’s like to race against friend and rival Max Verstappen. The British driver has been critical of the Dutchman’s racing style in the past, but asserts that Verstappen has never really ‘done anything wrong’ against the McLaren driver himself. ‘I have a lot of respect for Max,’ Norris says.
While Lando Norris calmly crossed the finish line second in Spain, Max Verstappen and George Russell provided the spectacle with their battle for fourth place. The collision between the two drivers that occurred during this is still a topic of discussion on the eve of the GP Canada. “I’ve done that in Mario Kart,” Norris joked in the cooldown room after the race about the moment Verstappen and Russell collided.
A few days later, the British driver can’t remember that joke, but he does open up to the BBC about what it’s like to race against Verstappen. “I don’t think he’s ever done anything wrong to me,” says Norris at the McLaren factory. “He’s raced very hard against me, as is his right. He’s made it very difficult for me at times. And he has the right to do that.”
‘Respect for Max’
The two drivers are friends off the track, and even on the circuit, Norris tips his hat to the Dutchman. “I’ve said it many times, I have a lot of respect for Max. The driver he is, the person he is, what he always stands for.” The Englishman entered Formula 1 four seasons after Verstappen, and thus has witnessed a significant portion of Verstappen’s success up close. “And what he has achieved, are four world championships. That’s four more than me and he has won many more races than I have. I admire those statistics, those achievements.”
“But at the same time, everyone does what they think is best. Everyone does what they think is right. And they race for themselves,” adds the McLaren driver. “Some may be more aggressive than others. But everyone has flaws. I have them. Maybe he has them too. I race in the aggressive way that I find correct and he does the same. The stewards are the ones who decide what is right and wrong.” The two friends have encountered each other on the track several times, including during the recent Grands Prix in Austin, Mexico, and Miami. The Austrian Grand Prix in 2024 even ended in tears, when Norris and Verstappen collided during the battle for victory.
