Lando Norris SLAMS Max Verstappen for ‘not very clean’ racing after Mexican GP clash
Lando Norris did not appear content with Max Verstappen's driving as the title titans came together on multiple occasions.
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Lando Norris and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)
The 2024 Mexican GP was full of rollercoasters. However, the story of the weekend was not Ferrari taking home another victory, but the clash of the title titans Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Subsequently, when the race was over, the McLaren driver was quick on his criticism of Verstappen’s over-the-top driving which had him on his toes to not get taken out.
Max Verstappen started the race ahead of Lando Norris and made an impressive move on pole-sitter Carlos Sainz on lap one. This made the Spaniard act as a buffer between the championship rivals. On the other hand, Sainz was a man on a mission during the Mexican GP and made quick way past the Dutchman, subsequently leaving him vulnerable to Norris’ attacks. However, these attacks saw the 24-year-old being driven off track on multiple occasions which had infuriated the Brit even while racing.
Moreover, when Norris got a chance to speak on the matter, he did not spare Verstappen and made swift jibes at him and his driving.
I knew what to expect [from Verstappen]. This is not very clean driving in my opinion, but I avoided it and it was a good race.
Lando Norris said in the post-race interview hosted by Marc Gene
Apart from this, it was a good race weekend for the 24-year-old around Mexico City. With the Dutchman being hit with two harsh penalties for his actions on the track, the Red Bull driver finished a lonely P6, while Norris claimed the runners-up spot and made a significant dent into Verstappen’s lead.
McLaren doubled down on Max Verstappen for his driving antics against Lando Norris
On the other hand, the 24-year-old was not alone in lamenting the reigning champion’s driving style. Experts joined in to express how Verstappen had gone past the lines of racing legally, which later saw McLaren Racing CEO, Zak Brown, jump in on the matter and further condemn the 27-year-old’s show of racing around the 4.3-kilometer track.
The American applauded stewards for penalizing the Dutchman as it would set a standard for F1 drivers to allow clean racing during wheel-to-wheel action.
Probably not enough. It’s getting a bit ridiculous and I applaud the stewards. Lando drove a clean race and congratulations to Carlos.
Zak Brown said in an interview
Thus, the action by the stewards might have repercussions down the line for Verstappen. This would make the Dutchman stay on his best behavior as there would be no room for mistakes going forward in the intense title fight.
On the other hand, McLaren‘s spot at the top of the constructor’s standings looks quite vulnerable as Ferrari has made major inroads. Thus, the battle for the championships on both the driver’s and constructor’s front is escalating as the final few rounds of the F1 calendar set in.
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Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)