Lando Norris sends message to Max Verstappen after Brazil GP win
Max Verstappen's Brazilian GP win was a major blow to Lando Norris's F1 2024 title hopes
McLaren driver Lando Norris has now congratulated Max Verstappen on a “nice drive” after the Red Bull star’s Brazilian Grand Prix win took him to the brink of the F1 2024 title.
It comes after Norris claimed that Verstappen‘s win was more “luck” than talent at Interlagos last weekend.
Lando Norris congratulates Max Verstappen after Brazil GP triumph
Verstappen took a major step towards a fourth consecutive World Championship in Brazil, winning from 17th on the grid in wet conditions.
It marked Verstappen’s first victory since the Spanish GP on June 23, ending a 10-race winless streak for the Red Bull driver – his longest barren run since the 2020 season.
With a 62-point lead over Norris, who finished a disappointing sixth at Interlagos despite starting from pole position, Verstappen can seal a fourth straight title when the F1 2024 season resumes at the Las Vegas Grand Prix later this month.
Another title would see Verstappen become only the second driver in F1 history to collect his first four World Championships in successive years, following in the footsteps of Red Bull icon Sebastian Vettel, who dominated F1 between 2010 and 2013.
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Norris has become the latest driver to take to social media to congratulate Verstappen via social media, commenting on post on Verstappen’s Instagram account: “Nice drive mate.”
The McLaren driver’s message to Verstappen was accompanied by a fist emoji.
Norris’s comment comes after a number of Verstappen’s F1 2024 rivals commented on the Red Bull driver’s posts in the aftermath of Sunday’s race.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who duelled with Verstappen for the title over the course of the classic 2021 season, wrote: “Amazing drive, congrats.”
Fernando Alonso, the Aston Martin driver who enjoys a health relationship with Verstappen, added: “Fantastic drive. Congrats.”
Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg posted a series of emojis of a goat, which are often used in the social media sphere to replace the words “greatest of all time.”
Virgil van Dijk, the Liverpool and Dutch international footballer, was another big name to add his congratulations with a post including an emoji of someone blowing out a candle alongside two flame emjois.
Norris initially appeared to question the validity of Verstappen’s achievement in the immediate aftermath of the Brazilian GP on Sunday, claiming the Red Bull man “got a bit lucky” despite winning by almost 20 seconds.
The British driver pointed to Verstappen being allowed a free tyre change while the race was suspended under the red flag, with Norris losing out having pitted just before the stoppage.
He told reporters in Sao Paulo: “You can change your tyres under the red flag. That’s what the others did. So just unlucky, unfortunate.
“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.
“It shouldn’t have been red flagged, but obviously there was the crash in the end, which caused the red. That’s life sometimes.
“You take a gamble, it’s paid off for them. It’s not talent, it’s just luck. So just a bit unlucky.”
Verstappen and his father Jos have accused the partisan factions of the British media in showing bias towards Norris over recent weeks, with the Red Bull driver unable to resist having a dig at the UK press in the post-race press conference at Interlagos.
He said: “I have a quick question here.
“I appreciate all of you being here, but I don’t see any British press.
“Did they have to run to the airport – or they don’t know where the press conference is?”
Verstappen Sr echoed his son’s comments, claiming “the negative journalists from England” inspired the Red Bull driver to “show who is the best” in Brazil.
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