Lando Norris recently confirmed that friendship will have no role to play when Max Verstappen goes against him at Silverstone on Sunday. Despite sharing a good friendship with the Red Bull driver, Norris is sure that Verstappen will look to overpower him with his killer instinct.
Norris and Verstappen have always shared an amicable relationship for a long time. The duo enjoyed racing each other from their boyhood days and has seen their friendship grow. Now, at the pinnacle of motorsport, they still have the “right amount of respect for each other.”
Considering that they are buddies off the track, their relationship will have no part to play once the lights go out. Norris and Verstappen share a good amount of time away from the track when they bump into each other or go for dinner. But once the visors are on, it’s a completely different scenario.
Lando Norris believes Max Verstappen will not leave an inch
Norris, who was present with his teammate Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen at the post-qualification press conference revealed his take on Sunday’s race. When asked by TalkSport’s Connor Andrews if the McLaren driver will be putting his friendship to the test at turn 1, Norris was firm with his reply.
The 23-year-old stated, “When you put the helmet on, there’s nothing more than I’m sure he wants to just beat everyone and make everyone look silly and same the opposite way around.”
Who predicted this top three in qualifying?! 😅#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/1zV7DN6Tku
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 8, 2023
The McLaren driver knows that the defending champion has a huge advantage over him on Sunday. But their friendship will only truly be put to the test once he gets a championship-worthy car and can take on Verstappen in the future.
Verstappen respects Norris
Apart from the on-track rivalry and friendship, the two-time world champion has a deep amount of respect for the Briton. Verstappen believes that Norris can indeed become a championship contender if he gets a fast car.
Max Verstappen / Lando Norris.
Via @FastestPitStop. pic.twitter.com/NG1uUT4y1k— Demetriou Neto (@NetoDemetriou) July 8, 2023
However, this comes at a time when the 23-year-old hasn’t won a race in his career. Despite this, Norris has always proven his talent as seen in the recently concluded British Grand Prix.
Lando Norris, interestingly, will have McLaren at his disposal as the British team is aiming to be back on top with their renaissance project. The Papayas, who were once the most dominant team in the sport are now far from that but Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren is more than eager to change it.
