– Lando Norris has confirmed that he and Max Verstappen have not spoken about their recent on-track clashes, even as they push towards the F1 2024 championship title. Norris emphasized that, while he respects Verstappen as a person and champion, he doesn’t feel it’s his place to address their confrontations.
“No, we’ve not spoken,” Norris said. “I don’t think we need to. I’ve got nothing to say.
“I still have a lot of respect for Max and everything he does – not respect for what he did last weekend – but respect for him as a person and also what he’s achieved. But it’s not for me to speak to him. I’m not his teacher. I’m not his mentor or anything like that.
“Max knows what he has to do. He knows that he did wrong. Deep down, he does, and it’s for him to change.”
– When asked if their relationship has been affected by their title fight, Norris noted, “Not that I know of. I’ve not spoken to Max, it’s not something I need to speak to Max about.
“Max is probably one of the most capable drivers on the grid, if not the most, and he knows what he can and can’t do and where the limits are. He knows the changes he has to make.”
“I’m very chilled and I’m very relaxed when I’m on track,” he said. “For me, that’s what I need to perform by being relaxed and not thinking about these things.
“There are two different sides – when you’re just driving, and driving quickly is one job, staying out of trouble and not making contact and all of those things is another task on top of it.
“I think I’ve always done a good job of staying out of trouble, whether it’s Lap 1s or Turn 1s, any of these things, but also racing against your main competitors and rivals is a big challenge, and I always expect it to be tough.
“I don’t want it to be easy. I never expect it to be easy, but my job is to make sure I see the finish line every time, and that’s what I have to do.”
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