Lando Norris, the McLaren racer, has extended his congratulations to Max Verstappen for an impressive drive, following the Red Bull ace’s victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix, a win that brings him tantalizingly close to the F1 2024 championship.
Lando Norris’s Comments on Verstappen’s Win
Following Max Verstappen‘s victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix, Lando Norris, his McLaren counterpart, suggested that Verstappen’s win was more a result of “luck” than talent. Norris pointed out that Verstappen, who started from the 17th position on the grid, benefited from a free pit stop during a red flag period, a rule that Norris and other drivers have disagreed with in the past.
Norris’s comments came after his own title chances took a significant hit due to the outcome of the race at Interlagos, where he and his team were “just unlucky”. Despite his comments, Norris did acknowledge that Verstappen “drove well”.
Lando Norris congratulates Max Verstappen after Brazil GP triumph
With a 62-point advantage over Lando Norris, who had a disappointing sixth-place finish at Interlagos despite starting from pole, Max Verstappen is in a strong position to clinch his fourth consecutive title when the F1 2024 season resumes at the Las Vegas Grand Prix later this month.
If he secures another championship, Verstappen will join an elite group as only the second driver in F1 history to win four World Championships in a row, following the legacy of Red Bull legend Sebastian Vettel, who dominated the sport from 2010 to 2013.
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Norris Congratulates Verstappen
Lando Norris has joined the list of drivers congratulating Max Verstappen on social media, commenting on Verstappen’s Instagram post with, “Nice drive mate,” along with a fist emoji. Norris’s message follows several comments from other F1 2024 competitors on Verstappen’s posts after the Brazilian Grand Prix. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who had a fierce rivalry with Verstappen during the 2021 season, remarked, “Amazing drive, congrats.” Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin also praised Verstappen, saying, “Fantastic drive. Congrats.” Meanwhile, Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg used a series of goat emojis, symbolizing “greatest of all time.” Liverpool and Dutch international footballer Virgil van Dijk also congratulated Verstappen, posting an emoji of someone blowing out a candle along with two flame emojis.
Norris’s Initial Comments on Verstappen’s Win
Initially, Norris seemed to question the legitimacy of Verstappen’s victory, suggesting that the Red Bull driver “got a bit lucky,” despite winning by nearly 20 seconds. He highlighted that Verstappen benefited from a free tire change during a red flag suspension, whereas Norris had pitted just before the stoppage. Norris expressed his thoughts to reporters in Sao Paulo, stating, “You can change your tyres under the red flag. That’s what the others did. So just unlucky, unfortunate.” He added, “Sometimes it just goes your way. Nothing we did wrong. I don’t get what people say – staying out was not the right thing to do.”Norris remarked that the red flag should not have been called, but acknowledged it was a result of a crash at the end of the race. He concluded, “It’s not talent, it’s just luck. So just a bit unlucky.”
Verstappen’s Response to Media Bias
Verstappen and his father, Jos, have claimed that the British media has shown bias towards Norris in recent weeks. During the post-race press conference at Interlagos, Verstappen took a subtle jab at the UK press, stating, “I have a quick question here. I appreciate all of you being here, but I don’t see any British press.”
