Rumors of a rift between George Russell and Lando Norris have been floating around the paddock recently, which comes as a surprise because there has been no direct altercation between the two and also because their friendship goes way back.
Russell decided to address these rumors after last weekend’s Chinese GP. After the race, Russell went over to Norris in the media pen and tried touching both his cheeks, much to the McLaren driver’s annoyance.
The Mercedes driver revealed in a subsequent interview that it was simply his ploy to make Norris smile. Unfortunately, Russell poked him in the eye, which brought out a negative reaction from Norris.
Russell added that it was also an attempt to put an end to rumors of the rift.
“Many people say we’re not friends anymore,” Russell said. “So you know, we need to show a bit of bromance.” The prank was Russell’s way of showing the F1 community that all was well between them.
Russell and Norris became friends during their time together in karting. They’ve grown up racing against each other and have spent more time together on tracks than they have with their families. Russell even revealed how Norris once paid the dinner bill for one of his best friends.
However, the 27-year-old seemed to take a dig at Norris after his altercation with Max Verstappen in Qatar last year, which many experts found surprising.
Russell’s beef was with Verstappen and how the Dutchman bullies his F1 colleagues. But when the Briton said, “I’m not there to be best mates with a world champion, I’m here to win,” the community couldn’t help but think he was referencing Norris. After all, the Bristol-born driver is Verstappen’s ‘best mate’ in F1.
Lando Norris on the Max – Russell saga: “I hope it doesn’t get smoothed out. I hope they stay fighting and arguing, cause it’s amusing to watch”
[@SkySportsF1] pic.twitter.com/S6b0kW6s0S
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) December 5, 2024
It might’ve been a ‘thinly veiled’ dig. But there’s certainly no animosity between the two, as evidenced by Russell’s comments in Shanghai last weekend.
Russell even made a joke about himself when the interviewer told him his friendship with Norris never truly appeared to be threatened. “I’m friends with everyone,” the 27-year-old said with a smile, when he clearly shares a rather bitter relationship with Verstappen.
