© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen were involved in an intense on-track battle at the Miami Grand Prix, and afterwards Norris said the Dutch driver is “ruining his own race”.
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen once again clashed on-track at the Miami Grand Prix, when the Briton was attempting to pass the Dutch driver for P2.
As usual, Verstappen was aggressively defending his position, and this led to several tense situations that could have resulted in a crash.
This came after Verstappen pushed Norris wide at the start of the race, which led to the Briton losing several positions.
After the race, Norris said Verstappen could have ‘ruined his own race’ with his antics.
“He’s fighting hard, but it’s up to him to do that,” the Briton said.
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“He’s ruining his own race. He’s not racing very smart. We probably could have finished 1-2 today, and he didn’t because of that.
“So yeah, he’s fighting, that is always expected, but that’s what it is.”
While talking to Jenson Button in parc ferme, Norris continued: “It’s the way it is with Max — it’s crash or don’t pass.”
McLaren ultimately scored a 1-2 victory, with Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri stepping on the top step of the podium.
“I never wanted to let Oscar get too far out of my sights,” Norris continued.
“But, I had to put up a good challenge in the first quarter or third of the race trying to get past the Mercedes, trying to get past the Williams, trying to get past Max.
“So yeah, not an easy start for sure, but I made my way through reasonably quickly I think. And of course, the car was very strong today, so that definitely helps.
“I gave it a good shot from when I got into second. There was a long way to go, I think 25, 30 laps almost at that point.
“I probably only stopped pushing the last 4-5 laps. The gap went from almost 10 to four or three, almost. I did all I could.
“I tried the whole race basically until the very end. I kept belief the whole race, but Oscar’s driving well. He’s quick.
“To catch from 10 seconds was always pretty much going to be impossible, but I gave it a good shot. I almost got there.
“Just not enough laps,” he concluded.
