No two drivers have been as friendly as Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in recent years in F1. However, last season brought a twist to their friendly dynamic. With Norris fighting Verstappen at the front of the field for the first time in his career, he was in for a brutal surprise.
The two drivers collided in Austria while fighting for the race lead, and that felt like the first crack in their relationship. Both Norris and Verstappen were firm that they were not in the wrong for that collision at the Red Bull ring, which led to a verbal battle for several days to come.
Many felt that Verstappen and Norris‘ friendship would fade away as an after-effect of their 2024 championship battle. Heading into the 2025 season, this question persists and the duo were asked about their dynamic during a press conference at the pre-season testing in Bahrain.
Seeing this as an opportunity to bury the hatchet, Verstappen and Norris gave sarcastic replies to clear the air on their relationship. Verstappen was the first one to kick off this hilarious sequence of replies by stating how his bond with the McLaren driver has become “terrible” since last year.
“We don’t get on anymore, it’s taking its toll,” he added. On this, Norris quipped, “We had a fight the other day in a local pub”. The Dutchman was quick on his feet to add to the humor, “We had to get escorted.”
Norris and Verstappen’s VERY unserious answer to whether their relationship is okay heading into the 2025 season
MV: It’s a terrible relationship. We don’t get on anymore. It’s taken its toll. Big drama. Big problems.
LN: We had a fight the other day in a local pub.
MV:… pic.twitter.com/aM3YJmH3Tf
— The Race (@wearetherace) February 27, 2025
Naturally, Verstappen and Norris have a very strong relationship, which may not deteriorate easily owing to a handful of on-track battles. On a serious note, the Briton highlighted how they are looking forward to “more battles” this season, as an extension of the title battle they had last season.
Are Norris and Verstappen actually being mature about their rivalry?
Some of the battles between the 2024 title protagonists don’t align with what they have said in Bahrain recently. Their controversial track limits incidents in the USA and Mexico really escalated to a stage where Norris went on to severely criticize Verstappen’s driving style, and even deemed it “dangerous”.
On top of that, the #4 driver claimed that Verstappen won in Sao Paulo because of “luck” and not talent despite the reigning champion pulling off a miraculous recovery drive from 17th on the grid.
While Norris retracted that comment during the FIA gala in December, it wasn’t the only significant off-track jibe between them. Comments about the Austria collision in its aftermath highlighted that Norris and Verstappen could easily have their rivalry blown out of proportion due to a major incident.
The British driver has stated that such comments often come in the heat of the moment and are part and parcel of the sport. With both of them trying to make their point and prove their move was legitimate, on and off-track tussles will happen if they are fighting for the title.
So, even though it may seem contradictory, Norris and Verstappen have the maturity to avoid their on-track battle affecting their personal dynamic.
