Max Verstappen makes bold claim over wanting Lando Norris as Red Bull teammate
With McLaren's mediocre performance before 2024, Max Verstappen revealed that he had previously invited Lando Norris to Red Bull.
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Max Verstappen and Lando Norris shaking hands (via Formula 1)
Lando Norris had previously been on the radar of Red Bull to replace Sergio Perez as the Mexican had a huge performance delta to Max Verstappen. However, this interest by the Austrian giant could be linked down to the Dutchman inviting the 25-year-old to join him when McLaren was a midfield team.
Max Verstappen has received priority status at Red Bull since Daniel Ricciardo‘s exit in 2019. However, this resulted in the team having second-driver issues as it struggled to find someone who could consistently match the reigning world champion while being his teammate.
On the other hand, Lando Norris has made his name on the F1 grid as a revered driver who could extract every single bit of performance from the machinery he is provided with. However, he lacked a car that could aid him win races as McLaren remained a staple midfield team.
Subsequently, this led Verstappen to invite Norris to join Red Bull as it would kill two birds with one stone. This tempted the 25-year-old initially but he remained loyal to the English team and signed a contract extension with McLaren.
I’ve spent, of course, quite a lot of moments with Lando before. So when I was already winning and he wasn’t, I always told him, ‘Your time will come. Stick to the process. I think you’re in a good team environment’. I happily invited him also to be my team-mate at the time, if you want to win, you can come here [to Red Bull] as well.
Max Verstappen said (via RacingNews365)
Norris is now bearing the fruits of his patience as the Woking-based outfit has finally got a car capable of winning world championships. His quest for a maiden F1 title has been pushed to next season as Verstappen has already beaten him to the line with two rounds to spare this year.
Max Verstappen reflected on how his relationship with Lando Norris has panned out
With the championship hanging in the balance for most of the season between the two drivers, a rivalry started brewing among Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. This caused fans to speculate whether the want to win a world championship would ultimately taint their friendship.
However, the Red Bull driver dismissed such concerns and asserted that the pair had a strong friendship.
We are friends now, we are not best friends, it’s not like I call him day to day. Both of us have our own best friends, that’s how you grow up, right? But we are friends. I have a lot of respect for him.
Max Verstappen said (via RacingNews365)
With the fire of the rivalry eventually cooling down, the pair would enjoy the last two rounds of racing before the F1 world ventures into the winter break. Thus, setting everyone’s eyes on next year when multiple drivers are expected to be in the fight to win the world championship.
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Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)