“I’m here to race,” Lando Norris gives blunt verdict on fight against Max Verstappen at Miami GP

Lando Norris made it clear that he will always try to capitalize on any opportunity that he gets on-track against Max Verstappen.

“I’m here to race,” Lando Norris gives blunt verdict on fight against Max Verstappen at Miami GP

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen are arch-rivals in Formula 1 since the championship battle last year. The latter emerged victorious in 2024, however, this has not changed Norris’ ambitions of being crowned world champion. The Miami GP was the latest race where the two went wheel-to-wheel in an aggressive battle. Now, the McLaren star has made it clear that he will not back down against the reigning world champion.

Norris started the race from second place, right behind Max Verstappen. The 25-year-old was right beside the Dutchman at Turn 1. Lando Norris was aiming to clinch the lead from Verstappen. The two arch-rivals did not hold back against one another. However, Verstappen managed to fend off the McLaren in the early stages. This led to the Briton showing the middle finger to the Red Bull star.

A few laps later, Norris did get ahead of Verstappen courtesy of the superior McLaren car. The British driver crossed the line in second place, behind race-winner Oscar Piastri. After the race, Lando Norris asserted that he was going to push himself to the limit at every opportunity. The McLaren driver took a lesson from F1 legend Ayrton Senna‘s handbook over going for every gap that exists. Norris declared that he is in F1 to race rather than to talk.

If there’s a gap, I’m going to go for it. I’m not going to back out. I’m here to race. I will stop talking.

Lando Norris said, via Sky Sports F1

Max Verstappen admits Red Bull had ‘no chance’ against McLaren

Max Verstappen shocked the paddock on Saturday when he clinched pole position for the Miami GP. The reigning world champion seemed to have his car in the right window for the race, posing as a real threat to Piastri and Norris. However, things were far different in the race.

Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)
Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)

After an aggressive duel with Lando Norris, Verstappen started to struggle with pace. The Dutch driver inevitably lost the position to the 25-year-old. McLaren eventually dominated the rest of the grid, after pulling a substantial gap from the rest of the grid. On the other hand, Red Bull’s performance struggles were exposed yet again, despite claiming pole position for the race.

Max Verstappen did not shy away from admitting that his team had no chance for victory. Moreover, the 27-year-old pointed out that tire heating was becoming a recurring issue. Overheating can become a major problem for drivers. One cannot push the car to its limits with overheated tires, making things much more difficult. Max Verstappen’s incredible speed has allowed him to continue to fight at the front despite these issues, something that is not possible for most drivers in Formula 1.

You could see it today, we had no chance. I think in general we are not on the same level as the Mclarens and our tires overheat way too much.

Max Verstappen said

Certainly, Max Verstappen and Red Bull have work to do if they want to get back in the title fight. In the present scenario, the reigning world champion will nowhere close to the McLarens. However, there has not been enough progress in recent weeks from Milton Keynes which raises further doubts in the Verstappen camp. As such, it remains to be seen how things pan out for the Dutch driver in the coming weeks.

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