Norris reveals ‘stupid’ Verstappen, Hamilton regrets in championship respect debate

Lando Norris admits he has some regrets over things he’s said about Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, comments about them having the “fastest” cars on the grid, instead of respecting what the driver achieved.

Norris added his name to the list of Formula 1 World Champions at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when he sealed the World title by two points ahead of Verstappen, and 13 points ahead of his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri.

Lando Norris: I know at times I say some stupid things…

As with any Drivers’ title in Formula 1, the question of what role the car plays comes up, and it is one Norris has weighed in on with former World Champions, Verstappen and Hamilton.

Last season he told the world that when Verstappen “had the quickest car, he dominated”, while this year, when Hamilton commented on the pace of the McLaren, Norris hit back that the Briton had “a fast car seven years ago” and that he had “made the most of it and now it’s us.”

Car v driver was a topic that rumbled in the latter rounds of this season as Verstappen told the world he would’ve won the title already had been racing the McLaren.

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Norris hit back: “Max generally has a good clue about a lot of things but there’s also a lot of things he doesn’t have much of a clue about.

“It’s also Red Bull’s way of going about things, this kind of aggressive nature and, yeah, just talking nonsense a lot of the time.”

But now with that title in hand, the Briton wants to silence the naysayers, calling for respect with his fellow World Champions.

“I know at times I say some stupid things, and I say some things about Max, or I might have said some things at times in the past that everyone talks about, about Lewis,” he said.

“Some things I regret and I wish I could take back and never have come out my mouth.

“But I honestly believe I give more respect to anyone else than anyone else. I give more respect to Oscar. I give more respect to Max. I try and give as much respect as I can to Lewis — he’s a seven-time world champion. He’s the best driver, you compare him to Schumacher, the best driver that’s ever been in Formula 1.

“I’m not even close to that. I might never be. I dream of those kind of things. I dreamed of today, and I’ve managed to achieve one of seven, comparing to him.

“And do I regret some of the comments I might have said in cooldown rooms or whatever it is? Yes. But a lot of those are in the heat of the moment. And by the time I’ve said it, I’ve gone, “Why the hell did I just say that?” So, I try and be as genuine as I can. I try and always speak the truth. I never try and give you guys false understandings of things.

“If I think we’re going to win, I’m going to say, “I think we’re gonna win.” If I think Red Bull are going be fast or probably going to be fast, I’m going to say it. I’m trying to honestly always—I have no gain by trying to hide things from you guys.

“And, you know, deep down, do I really hate when you write crap about me? I do. It’s also life, and I’ve learned to live with some of those things more. And I also value that everyone has their own opinions, whether they like me or not or think someone else is better or not, like we just spoke about. What I’m happy is that I did things my way this season.

“I won it in my way, my style of just trying to be a good person and a good team member. And I’m proud about that. No matter what other people want to write about and say about it, no one really knows the truth apart from the people on the inside, in terms of what’s going on.

“And I don’t need to listen to those things. So, as long as I know I’ve done a good job, which I have now proven to myself I have, then that’s the only thing I really need to listen to. It’s now myself and my team. And that’s all I need.”

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