Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were the two championship fighters for the 2024 season. Both on track and off track we witnessed multiple incidents between the two caused by the ever increasing tensions brought by the title fight. This led many to question if the two were still as close.
Aggressive battles
Verstappen and Norris has come head-to-head on multiple occasions in 2024, constantly pushing each other to the limits and occasionally off the track.
In Mexico, Verstappen found himself with two separate time penalties for his defensive and aggressive moves on Norris. On lap 9 at turn 4 as the Briton attempted an overtake against Verstappen, he found himself driving on the grass after he was pushed off by the Dutchman. They had another incident subsequently at turn 8 as the Red Bull driver forced both cars off in a desperate lunge. Verstappen found himself accumulating a 20s time penalty.
The two also found themselves fighting in Austria. A tense battle between the two resulted in punctures for both cars, ending Norris’ race, and Verstappen leaving fifth with another penalty. Despite the tense atmosphere at the Red Bull Ring, the Dutchman constantly reassured the media that the two were still friends.
Max Verstappen ultimately won his fourth championship in Las Vegas after his many battles with Norris. The Briton was even one of the first to congratulate him on his win in the media pen. Needless to say, there seems to be no bad blood between them despite what social media claims.
Verstappen’s own words
The four-time world champion has made a constant effort this season to reiterate that the two are friends, and he showed that after the Austrian GP. On the latest episode of Red Bull’s own podcast- Talking Bull, Verstappen was questioned on his relationship with the McLaren driver. To which he replied that they got along really well.
He also called out social media for constantly pitting them against each other and the negative portrayal of their relationship.
“People always make it really like a lot worse on social media.
“There are a lot of idiots on that platform that always have something to say, something to complain about. There were a lot of positive people, but also some proper idiots.
“I think it’s better just to ignore all of that. But Lando and I, we get on very well.
“Of course, at times it got a bit tense on track, but off track, that shouldn’t matter. We always try to do the best we can on track to get the best possible result.
“You are fighting for a World Championship, so I think it’s normal that these kinds of things can happen, but we’re good.”
