Lando Norris has appeared to fire back at Max Verstappen and Red Bull after the pair were involved in an incident during Saturday’s qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix.
Mercedes’ George Russell will be on pole for tomorrow’s Singapore Grand Prix after qualifying fastest ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who, it’s fair to say, was not overjoyed with his achievement.
After qualifying, Verstappen appeared to point the finger at Norris as the reason he failed to secure pole.
The McLaren driver, who will be in fifth place on the grid, was reducing his speed on approach to the pits while between two and three seconds ahead of the Dutchman when Verstappen was forced to lock up and missed the apex of Turn 16, which caused him to abandon his flying lap.
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Speaking via Red Bull’s team radio, engineer Gianpiero Lambiase said: “You can thank your mate for that,” when referring to Norris.
In the moments after the incident, the four-time F1 champion gestured towards Norris before speaking out about it in the post-qualifying interviews.
“That's what happens when there's a car in front of you, just cruising two seconds in front. That's noted, it will be remembered as well," Verstappen said.
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He added: “So that was a bit of a shame, I think it could've been close for pole. It's always very exciting here for qualifying.
"Of course, a little bit disappointed to not be first, but for us, this weekend, so far, has been really good. The car has been very competitive, for us to be second again is very good."
Verstappen is hoping to win a third consecutive race, having enjoyed victories at both the Italian and Azerbaijan races in recent weeks.
As for Norris, he will be hoping to extend the current 44-point gap between him and Verstappen this weekend, while his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri leads the Drivers’ Standings on 324 points after 14 podiums this season.
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The Englishman has since had his say on the incident and claimed that “they [Red Bull] always complain about everything”.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Norris said: “That's Red Bull. I don't even know. I was like three seconds ahead. I can't work it out."
Then discussing his performance, the Papaya driver added: "I just didn't put it all together, I'm talking small margins, and clearly as a team the car's not in the right place.”
Topics: Formula 1, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Motorsport
Luke Davies