The 2024 campaign has seen Norris emerge as a serious contender, briefly threatening Verstappen’s quest to land a fourth straight drivers’ championship.
But not before moments of serious tension between the pair, most notably at last month’s Mexican Grand Prix. The Dutchman received two separate time penalties for racing incidents with the British driver, which followed the McLaren man himself being penalised at the US Grand Prix in Austin.
Speaking to Will Buxton on F1 TV, the 25-year-old was asked if the pair’s relationship had been affected. “I don’t know, I’m split,” he replied. “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.”
Many fans and pundits have noted that the last time Verstappen was embroiled in a battle of such intensity, it was with Lewis Hamilton during the controversial 2021 season. And Norris claimed it was a positive that he was pushing the Red Bull man to his limits.
“It’s a compliment, that’s for sure,” he said. “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.”
While the individual crown now looks beyond Norris, his team remain in prime position to win a first Constructors’ title since 1998. They currently lead Ferrari by 36 points, with Red Bull a further 13 points adrift.
It’s also the first time the British team have even led the standings in 11 seasons. And Norris also lauded the shift in power, implying the situation had led to errors from Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
“We as a team have overtaken them, Ferrari have overtaken them,” he added. “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.”
