McLaren managed to turn around their fortunes after a strong start to 2024, which led to Norris taking his first victory at the Miami Grand Prix.
Even though it was a business-as-usual start to the season for Red Bull, as the season went on Verstappen’s advantage started to slip as rivals McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes caught up.
Norris and Verstappen would later get involved in a series of on-track incidents, notably at the Austrian Grand Prix when the pair collided and the McLaren driver was forced to retire and the FIA stewards handed the Dutchman a 10-second time penalty.
Verstappen would later earn two 10-second time penalties for forcing Norris off track in Mexico, as it became critical that he outscored the Briton in the final rounds.
The Red Bull driver would go on to win the title with two races to spare, with Norris having made too many mistakes throughout the season.
Both Norris and Verstappen are friends off track, with the Red Bull driver recently discussing how the dynamic works in an interview with Servus TV.
Verstappen had admitted that his friendship with Norris took a ‘bit of a battering,’ following their battle in Mexico in which the Dutchman took an uncompromising approach.
He has now opened up on how tough it can be to fight a friend on track when the pair are both trying to outrace each other for a title.
“In Miami McLaren was very strong and I know Lando is a very strong driver, then I knew that there would be a fight at the front,” said Verstappen.
“Of course we are friends and sometimes on track it is hard, but that is part of it. It’s not child’s play, this is a world championship.
“The media always said we had problems, but we never had that.”
Part of the reason why Norris missed out on the title in 2024 was because he was not as ruthless as Verstappen when it came to pivotal moments.
He would also leave too much margin for the Dutchman to exploit, whereas Verstappen is known for not leaving any excess track which can sometimes lead to controversial stewards decisions.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has said Norris will race Verstappen differently in 2025, following a spate of incidents between the two this year.
Oscar Piastri will also follow having been involved in a first-lap incident with Verstappen at the season finale in Abu Dhabi which nearly impacted McLaren’s chances of winning the Constructors’ Championship.
