Lando Norris claims Max Verstappen ‘taking the p***’ by bending F…read more
Lando Norris’ frustrations with Max Verstappen boiled over before the Las Vegas Grand Prix had even begun, with the McLaren driver accusing his title rival of deliberately stretching the limits of Formula One’s formation-lap regulations. What initially sounded like a routine complaint over team radio now appears ironically misplaced, given how events eventually unfolded for the championship leader.
Lining up on pole position under the Las Vegas lights, Norris had every reason to feel optimistic about extending his championship advantage. Verstappen, however, who started right beside him on the front row, made a noticeably sharper launch off the line. In response, Norris moved aggressively to the left in an attempt to defend his position heading into the tight opening corner. The maneuver backfired almost immediately, as the Briton braked too late, skidded deep into Turn 1, and surrendered the lead after only a few seconds of racing.
Yet minutes before that dramatic opening-lap mistake, Norris’ attention was focused on something entirely different. During the formation lap, he complained heatedly to his race engineer about the large gap Verstappen was leaving ahead. According to the Briton, the Red Bull driver had slowed so much that he was effectively manipulating tyre temperatures and gaining an unfair advantage for the race start.
“He’s taking the p*** with how big of a gap he’s leaving,” Norris said over the radio, his frustration clear. “That’s way over the allowed allowance. He’s just taking the p*** here, you can’t do this. It’s 10 car lengths, bro.”
From Norris’ perspective, Verstappen’s tactics were compromising his ability to maintain tyre warmth—critical on a circuit where grip levels were already unpredictable. A sluggish formation lap can easily leave the following car with colder tyres, affecting traction and braking performance into Turn 1. Whether Verstappen was intentionally exploiting this or simply managing his own start procedure is open to interpretation, but Norris clearly believed his rival was pushing the boundaries of the rulebook.
The irony, of course, is that tyre temperature was the least of Norris’ problems by the end of the night. Despite his early error, he recovered strongly, climbing back to second place with a series of well-timed overtakes and consistently fast laps. But his impressive drive proved meaningless when, hours after the race concluded, both McLaren cars were disqualified. FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer reported that the plank—the mandatory wooden skid block under the car—on Norris’ machine showed more wear than regulations permit. It was a devastating blow to a driver fighting for his maiden world championship.
The disqualification reframed the entire narrative. Norris, who had been incensed about Verstappen bending rules at the start, was himself ultimately removed for a technical breach, one that had nothing to do with driving conduct. McLaren later explained that the bumpy nature of the circuit may have contributed to the excessive plank wear, but the FIA’s decision was firm.
As for the race start, some paddock observers suggested that Norris’ irritation with Verstappen might have influenced his aggressive move into Turn 1. Feeling disadvantaged by the tyre temperature situation, he may have attempted to regain control by forcing the issue at the first corner. Although Norris didn’t explicitly blame his cold tyres afterward, he did acknowledge that he simply braked too late in the heat of the moment.
Verstappen, for his part, offered a light-hearted but pointed response. “He was probably looking in the rear-view mirrors a bit too long and forgot where to brake,” the Dutchman said with a grin. The remark highlighted not only the competitive tension between the title contenders but also Verstappen’s confidence after dominating the race.
Norris’ eventual second-place finish before the disqualification showed strong pace, but it was never close enough to challenge Verstappen’s commanding performance. The reigning champion controlled the race from the front, preserving tyres, managing the pace, and ensuring that his title fight remained alive.
In the end, the biggest twist of the Las Vegas weekend was the contrast between Norris’ inflamed complaints and the final outcome. He had accused Verstappen of exploiting the rules—only to fall foul of one himself, leading to a result that drastically altered the championship landscape. What began as a tense radio gripe finished as one of the most dramatic and consequential race-weekend reversals of the season.
