Lando Norris said Max Verstappen “knows what changes he needs to make” in response to the penalties he received during the Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix.
Verstappen pushed Norris twice in a few corners at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez last weekend, earning him two 10-second penalties.
Norris, who moved up to second place to close the gap to Verstappen to 47 points, said after the race that he wanted his rival to recognize that he had overstepped the mark.
But although the two have not discussed what happened, the Briton is convinced the Red Bull driver is aware his maneuvers went beyond what is deemed acceptable.
"We didn't talk," Norris said in Brazil. “I don't think we need it. I don't have anything to say.”
“I still have a lot of respect for Max and everything he does. Not respect for what he did last weekend, but respect for him as a person and also for what he accomplished.”
“But it's not my place to talk to him. I'm not his teacher, I'm not his mentor or anything like that. Max knows what he has to do, he knows he did wrong. Deep down he knows he's behaving badly, he is and it's up to him to change, not me.”
Verstappen has not publicly expressed his desire to change his approach, but Norris is adamant that his title rival understands he must adapt to avoid further penalties.
“It's not something I need to talk to Max about. Max is probably one of, if not the most, capable drivers on the grid. And he knows what he can and can't to do and where the limits are so he knows the changes he must make.
Norris reiterated that he hopes to have a clean battle with Verstappen this weekend in Brazil, although he stressed that such a result would not depend on him.
“I think the stewards did a good job. They have a very difficult job, but they did a good job. I think 99% of the people who watch Formula 1 and know Formula 1 agree with that. We are satisfied on our side. I stayed out of trouble and also did my job.”
“But every weekend is a new weekend, right? I don't know what to expect this weekend. Obviously, I hope I'm expecting a cleaner battle than the one we had. It's not my responsibility.”
“I don't make the rules. I don't decide the penalties. I just drive and the stewards did the rest and they did a good job.”
Norris explained that he was not going to change his approach against Verstappen and that he felt he was holding his own in contentious moments.
He admitted that he may have paid the price for his lack of aggressiveness in certain scenarios, but that the points gained from staying clean in the race had nonetheless piled up.
“What I've done well in my whole career is to stay out of trouble and keep the car in one piece. All these little things add up over a championship and over a season, especially in a series where there is a capped budget as well.”
“I've always had the mentality of wanting to race fair and clean. I think I probably said it last weekend, maybe I was too nice, whether I was attacking or whether I was defends. But I think I've always made good decisions on that side.”
“Sometimes I paid the price for not being aggressive enough, but the rest is not up to me. Even if you don't realize it, there are times when you need to avoid a potential accident and can -maybe you don't see it on television.”
“There are more moments where people realize that you live through certain scenarios. And I think those are some of the challenges that we face from time to time. But I will approach this weekend with a new expectation, that of a clean and fair race and I think that's what we should expect.”
