“Doesn’t End Well”: Lando Norris Will End Friendship With Max Verstappen, If That’s What It Takes

The desire to become an F1 World Champion has always outweighed the friendly relations between two drivers in the sport. Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, who have defied all odds to maintain their friendship so far, are now on the brink of kickstarting a bitter rivalry. This will effectively bring an end to their friendship, and Norris for one, is completely okay with it.

However, Norris didn’t admit to the same after the Austrian GP crash between the two. He spoke about it in the Beyond the Grid podcast in the build-up to the race. When asked if there was a chance his relationship with Verstappen would get affected due to their proximity on the track, he said, “I’ve not been in that position where things have changed because of racing situations and scenarios. So I’m going to say yes. Because normally when you’ve seen teammates and you’ve seen people have these rivalries, it often doesn’t end well.”

While Verstappen and Norris remained good friends off the tracks, the latter claimed their relationship is often ‘romanticized’ by the fans. The two drivers don’t connect daily. They don’t hang out every chance they get or share jokes all the time. Mostly, the relationship is built on respect and admiration for what each of them does.

Many even believed that it was the friendship between Norris and Verstappen that led to the former rarely fighting the latter on the track in the past. However, Norris revealed that he was never in a position to fend off a Red Bull, but times have now changed.

McLaren challenger increasing hostilities between Norris and Verstappen

In the past, Norris would rarely engage in wheel-to-wheel battles with Verstappen. Most times, the Briton would allow the Dutchman to have an easy pass. Talking about the same, Norris revealed that the primary reason behind the same was the Woking-based outfit’s inferior mechancial package. It was nowhere near as fast as the Red Bull challenger in which Verstappen would coast to victories.

Thus, the 24-year-old thought it best to allow Verstappen to pass without putting up a fight. However, times have now changed, and Red Bull no longer houses the most dominant car on the track. Now, Norris with his McLaren MCL38 is confident of pushing Verstappen to the limit.

Following the antics at the Austrian GP, tensions are now at an all-time high between the two friends. As such, the upcoming race in Silverstone could well act as the defining moment in the birth of a new rivalry.