Norris claims Verstappen 'got lucky' in Brazil as title hopes fade

By Sports Desk November 04, 2024

Lando Norris said Max Verstappen benefitted from a rule "no one agrees with" as he won a dramatic Sao Paulo Grand Prix to leave the McLaren's title hopes hanging by a thread.

Verstappen surged to a terrific victory from 17th on the grid in Brazil, with Norris faltering after starting on pole.

Norris and Mercedes' George Russell – who were vying for the lead – both pitted on lap 29, but that strategy backfired as the red flag was shown following a crash involving Franco Colapinto.

With the race suspended, Verstappen was also able to change tires for the restart, negating Norris' advantage from pitting as the world champion raced to a commanding victory.

Norris had cut Verstappen's drivers' championship lead to 44 points by winning Saturday's sprint race but now sits 62 points adrift with just three races of the season remaining. 

The Brit refused to hit out at McLaren's strategy after the race, though, putting his struggles down to bad luck. 

"I have faith in the team in what they are saying and they have trust in me," he told Sky Sports F1. 

 

"It was just unlucky. I don't care about the hindsight side of things, that's luck for them, nothing more.

"They got lucky on a rule that no one agrees with. Probably they agreed with it today but every driver has disagreed with it in the past.

"Today it benefitted them, it could have benefitted us if we just stayed out, but that's a stupid thing to think of. 

"Just a bit unlucky today, nothing more. Of course, disappointing. Max drove well. He got a bit lucky but that's life."

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    Russell escalated his war of words with Verstappen on Thursday ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, calling the Dutchman a "bully" following a stewards meeting.

    Verstappen claimed that Russell's conduct during a stewards' hearing in Qatar, which saw the Dutchman given a grid penalty, made him "lose all respect" for the Mercedes driver. 

    The British driver also accused the four-time world champion of threatening to put him “on your f*****g head in the wall”, a claim Verstappen told Dutch media was not true.

    Verstappen stood by his stance that he found Russell’s attempts to get him a penalty in Qatar unacceptable, and Horner gave his view on the situation on Friday. 

    "Max does nothing but tell the truth, so I believe 100 per cent what he said to be accurate," Horner said. "Of course, there were other people in those steward rooms as well.

    "They also came back and reported that they were quite surprised at the approach that was taken (by Russell)."

    "The thing with Max… He tells you straight, tells you as it is. He never lies, always tells you the truth."

    "A lot's been made of it. It's pantomime season," Horner added. 

    "We are getting ready for Christmas, so there's maybe an element of end of term blues there, but I don't think it will have any effect on the grand prix itself."

    The Red Bull boss also responded to Toto Wolff, after he slammed Horner's leadership, with the Austrian calling him a "yapping little terrier".

    Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Horner was presented with an opportunity to bite back at those remarks. 

    "I'm not going to rise to the bait of that. Everybody manages their teams in different ways. We've won 122 races, 14 world championships - I think we're doing alright," he said. 

    "To be called a terrier, is that such a bad thing? They are not afraid of having a go at the bigger dogs. I would rather be a terrier than a wolf."

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    Ferrari are 21 points behind McLaren in the Constructors' Championship ahead of the final race of the 2024 Formula One season.

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    The tension between the pair, which began during qualifying at last weekend's Qatar Grand Prix, escalated quickly after both drivers made further comments ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi. 

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    "Why does he feel entitled to comment about my driver?" Wolff added. "How does that come? That even thinking about it, I just had 90 seconds to think about it. Yapping little terrier. Always something to say.

    "There is a thing between drivers, and this is George and Max, and I don't want to get involved in that. But if the other team principal calls George 'hysterical', this is where he crosses a line for me.

    "His forte, for sure, is not intellectual psychoanalysis, but that's quite a word. How dare you comment on the state of mind of my driver?!"

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