Max Verstappen has offered his thoughts on Lando Norris’ hesitation to join Red Bull while Verstappen remains a key figure on the team.
Norris, who recently extended his stay with McLaren, has quashed any speculation about a potential move to Red Bull, despite previous mutual expressions of interest from both him and the team in a future collaboration.
This development comes as Sergio Perez’s tenure with Red Bull is set to conclude at the end of 2025, which had sparked rumors about Norris potentially filling the spot next to Verstappen.
However, Norris‘ recent commitment to McLaren has effectively put an end to such speculations.
In an interview with Sky Sports following his contract renewal with McLaren, Norris addressed the notion of whether he harbored any apprehensions about joining Red Bull and going head-to-head with Verstappen in identical equipment.
He had previously indicated openness to partnering with the Dutch racer. Norris clarified that his decision was not about avoiding the challenge of competing with Verstappen on equal footing but rather the complexities of entering an environment where Verstappen is well-established.
He stated in January, “I think it’s a longer discussion than just saying that,
“Is Max one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1? Absolutely. I think he’s proved that enough.
“He’s in a team which he’s very comfortable in, a lot of things are built around him, so for anyone – even the Max of a few years ago – to go in against the Max of now is extremely difficult.
“So I don’t think it’s a question of: are you scared or not scared? I don’t think I’d ever be scared of going up against anyone.
“But even if you enter a team, are you in a position to challenge someone straight away? And are you comfortable to do that?
“And I think it’s a ‘no’ – for any driver. It takes time to adapt and takes time to get into place.
“And if you want to go against the best driver in the world, it’s not the best thing to do. It’s not a smart move to do.
“But I would love to race against Max. I’ve enjoyed some of our battles that we’ve had and I’m looking even more forward to the battles that we’re going to have this year.”
During the unveiling of Red Bull’s RB20 in Milton Keynes on Thursday, Verstappen addressed inquiries from Sky regarding Norris’ remarks, specifically focusing on whether he would find it challenging to outperform his own achievements from four years prior.
He said, “If I look back at myself four years ago, compared to now, you are a bit more calm and experienced.”
“And that in some scenarios can make a difference, probably winning a championship helps as well, but it would be quite exciting to have my four years younger self to team up against my current one. I am not afraid of a challenge, it’s cool to race the best in the world.”
Verstappen acknowledged the logic behind Norris’ reluctance to compete directly with him, attributing it more to Norris feeling settled at McLaren rather than any fear of facing him on the track.
“But from his [Lando’s] side, I don’t know what’s going on in the team there,” he stated.
“And when you feel really happy and confident with the people you are with, and they’ve [McLaren] been on a positive trajectory, you also think to yourself: ‘Maybe I don’t need to leave and I can make this a success.’”
