The one lively moment in a sedate Japanese Grand Prix came when Max Verstappen and Lando Norris raced to the end of the pit lane after their tyre changes, forcing the McLaren off track
Lando Norris said he knew rival Max Verstappen was “the last guy I expect to give me any space”. He was referring to his clash with the defending Formula 1 champion which proved to be the one incident of note during the Japanese Grand Prix.
Verstappen started on pole and extremely low tyre degradation allowed him to push flat out for most of the race and keep the marauding McLarens behind him at bay. The one chance Norris got to get past the Red Bull came when they both pitted for a change of rubber.
Red Bull were sluggish in getting the new tyres on and he lost around a second compared to the Brit. That encouraged Norris to try to get ahead before he exited the pit lane, but after pulling alongside he began to run out of road.
Verstappen, under no obligation to yield, declined to do so and Norris went over the grass before he aborted his bold attempt to take the lead. He filed back in behind the Dutchman and spent the rest of the race looking at his gearbox.
Annoyed though he was at the time, accusing Verstappen over the radio of pushing him off track, Norris confirmed after he had climbed out of his car that he did not think his rival had done anything wrong.
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He said: “It’s racing, I think. He was still ahead, it kind of squeezes into one, and Max is the last guy I expect to give me any space… in a good way, in a racing way. So, nothing more than that.”
Verstappen’s pole position and subsequent win is something of a shock result, despite the four-time champion’s obvious talent and remarkable record in recent seasons. McLaren have started the season comfortably ahead of their rivals in terms of performance and Red Bull continue to wrestle with a temperamental car.
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But the 27-year-old proved it can be a race winner as he tamed it enough to keep those behind him at bay on Sunday. And Norris made it clear afterwards that he never for a second thought he would not have to worry about a Verstappen challenge this year.
He said: “I get a lot of questions asking if am I surprised when Max does a day like yesterday or today. I guess people expect me to say yes but I don’t think there is a reason to be. I don’t think I ever have.
“I have always said I have a lot of respect for Max. I don’t need anyone to tell me what Max is capable of doing. I still believe that we can have good races and go toe-to-toe and some days he will come out on top and some days I will.
“Red Bull seem to maybe have caught up a little bit, but they have not been that bad the whole season. This weekend he has been very good. I expect him to be challenging us every weekend.”
