Calling it- not smart- McLaren driver Lando Norris did not mince words while describing Max Versrappen's aggressive style of driving during the Miami Grand Prix. The two had a clash in first lap, which compromised both drivers' race. While Noris was able to recover and finished second in the Miami GP, the episode left him displeased with the aggressive tactics followed by the reigning world champion.
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Lando Norris Blasts Max Verstappen
The pair had a nasty wheel-to-wheel exchange in lap-1 that resulted in Norris dropping down to 6th. However, he was able to script an enormous comeback from there, eventually finishing second in Miami. Verstappen on the other hand struggled till the end after that. He was forced to cede the lead to the ultimate winner, Oscar Piastri, finishing a distant 40 seconds behind the McLaren driver.
Norris was clear in the post-race FA press conference that he felt Verstappen had cost himself dearly with his overzealous defending.
“[Max was] fighting hard. It's up to him to do that,” Norris said.
“You know, he ruined his own race — he's not racing very smart. He probably could've finished third today and he didn't, because of that.
“So, yeah, he's fighting hard, as always expected. But that's the way it is.”
Despite both cars losing the track following their on-track tussle, the incident was nor deemed worthy of investigation by the stewards.
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On Chasing Piastri
Though frustrated by the clash with Verstappen, Norris turned in one of his strongest performances of the season, reeling in his teammate Oscar Piastri during the final stint of the race.
At one point, Piastri held a commanding nine-second lead, but Norris managed to halve that margin before backing off in the final few laps.
“I gave it a good shot when I got into second place and there was a long way to go, I think still 25 or 30 laps at that point,” he recounted.
“I only probably stopped pushing really in the last four or five laps but the gap went from like almost 10 to to four or three almost, so I did all I could.
“I tried the whole race until until the very end so I kept belief during the whole race, but Oscar's driving.
“He’s quick to catch but it always pretty much going to be impossible, but I gave it a good shot. I almost got there, just not enough laps.”