Lando Norris notes that Max Verstappen isn’t his ‘BFF’ even though they get along well, but his main goal is to beat him.
Even though McLaren’s Norris and Red Bull’s Verstappen get along well and have mutual respect, the Brit doesn’t term them as ‘BFF (best friend forever)’. The topic came about since they are closing in on fighting terms with regards to the world title.
Norris was close to Verstappen in 2023 and with McLaren picking up pace, they could be tussling in time to come, a challenge that he will relish. They haven’t had much fights in the lower categories until F1 and both certainly wants to have a go.
“He’s not my BFF, don’t ever say that again,” he said. “We respect each other and we get along, kind of friends in a way. But that’s it. We just have a lot of respect for one another. It as simple as it gets. He has been doing a good job, he’s clear.
“Their car is phenomenal, Red Bull have been doing an amazing job, they’ve done that for the last few years. So for anyone to catch them is going to be a massive step. They are not just quicker in pace, they’re a lot better on degradation like they showed even last year.
“And Max is one of the best drivers and so it’s a tough combination to beat. But I feel like we are getting what we need to begin to challenge,” summed up Norris, who recently signed an extended deal with McLaren amid varied speculation about Red Bull wanting him alongside Verstappen in the future.
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