Lando Norris has admitted he won’t be best friends with reigning world champion Max Verstappen and that their relationship ‘will change’ if he continues to challenge the Dutchman for race wins. The McLaren star claimed his maiden Grand Prix victory in Miami at the expense of the Red Bull driver.
Norris and Verstappen have long been close friends, spending time with each other during their breaks from F1 and making clear their admiration for the other’s driving prowess. However, that could soon be about to change with McLaren now closing in on Red Bull at the front of the field.
McLaren arrived in Miami with 10 upgrades and the Woking-based outfit put them to good use, capitalising on a mid-race safety car to snatch the lead through Norris, before the Bristol-born racer opened up a seven-second gap to Verstappen in P2 en route to his first F1 race win.
With one of Norris’ specialist events coming up in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the 24-year-old will be targeting back-to-back wins and if he continues to eat into Verstappen’s championship advantage, we could witness the deterioration of their friendship.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 reporter Craig Slater about the possibility, Norris admitted: “I’m sure it will. Like, I don’t want to say it in a bad way. We have respect for one another, we get along. We’re not best friends. We don’t text each other every day, that kind of thing.
“But we just have a lot of respect from him to me and me back to him. So I look forward to it. I want to challenge him, I want to race against him, I want to battle because I think he’s one of the best drivers ever in Formula One, so if I can prove myself against him, I’m proving myself against one of the best, and that’s exactly what I want to do.”
Verstappen’s warmth towards Norris was obvious after the race. The three-time world champion was often furious in defeat last season on the rare occasion that it happened, but he couldn’t help but smile for his friend and rival after taking the chequered flag in P2.
“On our side, it was disappointing, of course,” he told Viaplay. “But on the other hand, we also have to be realistic. We didn’t have speed, especially on the hard tyre. And like I said, if someone has to win, in my opinion it can be Lando.”
