Lando Norris has shared his thoughts on whether his off-track friendship with Max Verstappen has been affected by their intense championship battle on track, admitting that he's "split" on whether the two can be kept separate.
The relationship between Norris and Verstappen has long been seen as one of mutual respect and friendship, but with the two drivers now embroiled in a fierce battle for the title in 2024, questions have arisen about how this rivalry could impact their personal dynamic.
In a conversation with Will Buxton during F1 TV’s Pre-Race Show in Sao Paulo, Norris was asked whether the person off the track can truly be separated from the racing driver during competition. The McLaren driver responded: “I don’t know, I’m split. In some ways, you kind of think how someone can be personally and how you can get along with people can be so different to how you are on track. It’s such a different world there on the track to here doing this [in the paddock]. It’s my first time being in this situation, and time will tell how that changes. But for now, I still respect Max, I think he respects me, but maybe ask me again at the end of the year!”
The two drivers’ rivalry came into focus during the Mexican Grand Prix, where Verstappen faced criticism for some of his on-track moves against Norris, leading to two 10-second penalties for the Dutchman.
When asked if Verstappen's actions were reminiscent of his 2021 championship fight with Lewis Hamilton, Norris replied, “It’s a compliment, that’s for sure. But he’s doing what he believes is best, which is fair dos. It might not always be the right thing, but we always do what we believe is right and we always do what we believe is the best at that time."
Norris also acknowledged the pressure that Verstappen and Red Bull are currently under.
“He’s doing what he has to to try and keep me behind him in the championship because he’s under pressure, Red Bull’s under pressure, they’re not delivering. We as a team have overtaken them, Ferrari have overtaken them. They’re doing their best, we’re doing our best, and the more pressure we can put them under, the more of these kinds of mistakes they’ll probably do," he concluded
Here’s the list of drivers along with their respective teams and points:
1. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) - Red Bull: 393 points
2. Lando Norris (Great Britain) - McLaren: 331 points
3. Charles Leclerc (Monaco) - Ferrari: 307 points
4. Oscar Piastri (Australia) - McLaren: 262 points
5. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spain) - Ferrari: 244 points
6. George Russell (Great Britain) - Mercedes: 192 points
7. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) - Mercedes: 190 points
8. Sergio Perez (Mexico) - Red Bull: 151 points
9. Fernando Alonso (Spain) - Aston Martin: 62 points
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) - Haas: 31 points
11. Yuki Tsunoda (Japan) - RB: 28 points
12. Pierre Gasly (France) - Alpine: 26 points
13. Lance Stroll (Canada) - Aston Martin: 24 points
14. Esteban Ocon (France) - Alpine: 23 points
15. Kevin Magnussen (Denmark) - Haas: 14 points
16. Alexander Albon (Thailand) - Williams: 12 points
17. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) - RB: 12 points
18. Oliver Bearman (Great Britain) - Haas: 7 points
19. Franco Colapinto (Argentina) - Williams: 5 points
20. Liam Lawson (New Zealand) - RB: 4 points
21. Zhou Guany (China) - Sauber: 0 points
22. Logan Sargeant (United States) - Williams: 0 points
23. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) - Sauber: 0 points
