Max Verstappen has played down rumors that he and Lando Norris have not spoken since the fallout from their on-track collisions at the last two Grands Prix.
Norris was handed a five-second penalty for overtaking Verstappen off track during the United States Grand Prix. A week later, at the Mexico Grand Prix, Verstappen received two 10-second penalties, first for forcing Norris off the track, then a few corners later, for going off the track and taking a advantage.
Norris confirmed that he had not contacted Verstappen in the previous days, despite the pair speaking after their collision at the Austrian Grand Prix.
When asked about how their relationship has evolved in recent weeks, Verstappen said their relationship has changed: “You know how it is. Everyone knows we’re both fighting for a championship, even though you’re best friends.”
“We understand it off the track. So we don’t talk much anymore. If you look back on it in 10 years, you’ll understand it. You can be best friends or hate each other, but on the track it’s still the same . If you want to make a difference, it’s not good, I think, to mix it all up.”
Verstappen is adamant that whatever the relationship, they always said to each other “that we had to run hard”.
“Nothing changes in that regard. We spoke about the incident in Austria before the British GP. We both understand that we are fighting for a championship. It’s not a walk in the park!”
But Lando Norris confirmed after his remarks that he was no longer speaking to Verstappen!
“The way I focus on the track is different than off the track. If someone treats me like crap on the track, that doesn’t mean I’ll treat them like crap off the track. of the track. They are two different worlds.”
“Very few people in the world have done what Max was able to do. There are 99 things he’s better at than everyone else, and one thing he’s not at and that’s human relationships.”
“Our friendship is in danger but we will see at the end of the season how to move on, certainly.”
