Lando Norris Blames Max Verstappen for Backing Him Against Rivals for Monaco GP Win

Lando Norris didn't hesitate to call out Max Verstappen for backing him up at the final stages of the Monaco GP that nearly cost him the win.

Lando Norris Blames Max Verstappen for Backing Him Against Rivals for Monaco GP Win

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen (image via Red Bull content pool)

Lando Norris finally regained his lost form in performance and emerged victorious at the Monaco GP. However, the win didn’t come with particular ease as he had to fend off the local hero Charles Leclerc right on his back. Moreover, Max Verstappen saved his final pit stop until the penultimate lap of the race, which meant that Norris was prone to a late-race attack from Leclerc. Now, the Briton has blamed the 27-year-old for causing him to nearly miss out on the race win in the final lap.

The Monaco GP received a massive change of regulations after the sport made a compulsory two-stop rule in the main event. The teams and drivers faced this condition for the first time as they usually carried out a single stop. Still, McLaren made no mistakes in their strategy and maximized results over the Monegasque weekend and enabled Lando Norris to emerge victorious towards the end.

Despite McLaren’s superiority in performance and strategy, Red Bull refused to give up too easily as Max Verstappen holded on to the final pit stop until the last lap in hopes of a last-minute safety car. However, as depicted by the events, the race remained incident-less as Verstappen had to pit anyways and cede loss against Norris.

Lando Norris reflected on his victory in the Monaco GP and revealed the worst bit from the entire 78-lap run around the Monte Carlo Circuit. Norris highlighted that he was in control of his pace the whole race, but couldn’t hold onto the lead with ease towards the final stages. The reason is that Max Verstappen was backing him up a lot, which might have caused the former to lose his running to Charles Leclerc. Still, the 25-year-old held onto his pace well and managed to emerge victorious in the end.

The worst bit was the end, I felt under control the whole race but Max was backing it up a little bit and I had to manage it, back off Max and push when I needed to.

Lando Norris said in a post-race interview

Lando Norris achieves ‘childhood dream’ with stellar Monaco GP win

Lando Norris got used to winning races only in the 2024 season after he achieved his maiden victory at the Miami GP. Since then, the Briton has won over four different races but none on the iconic circuit of the Monaco GP. As such, winning on the Monte Carlo Circuit is an unrealized dream of many drivers that they are unable to achieve throughout their careers.

Lando Norris at the Monaco GP (via F1)
Lando Norris at the Monaco GP (via F1)

Lando Norris would not join that list of unsuccessful drivers around the Monaco GP as he achieves a coveted race win. The Briton reckoned that he was feeling amazing after a long, gruelling race around the circuit. The 25-year-old highlighted that the team won dominantly after starting the race from pole. Hence, Norris confidently claimed that he achieved his childhood dream of emerging victorious in Monaco.

It feels amazing. It’s a long race, a long, gruelling race. We could push for the whole race, and we won in Monaco! An amazing weekend with pole, with today. This is what we dream of, this is what I did dream of as a kid.

Lando Norris noted

McLaren now seems to get a better hold on their performances and keep up with their winning pace. The team has now achieved a massive lead of over 172 points, with Mercedes trailing in the runner-up position. Norris has also closed in on the gap to Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ standings and is just three points shy of regaining the title lead against the latter.

Read More: “Not His Fault,” Max Verstappen Defends Lewis Hamilton over Monaco GP Qualifying Outburst