NORRIS: “AS SOON AS I PUT ON MY HELMET, I HATE EVERYONE”
As Lando Norris and Max Verstappen battle for the 2024 world championship, tensions are rising.
Lando Norris says that when he gets behind the wheel of an F1 car, he “hates everyone” and that his friendship with Max Verstappen won’t stop him from doing everything he can to win the world championship this year. Norris and his close friend Verstappen are locked in an intense battle for the Drivers’ Championship. While Verstappen dominated the early stages of the season, holding a 52-point lead over Norris, the British driver has been closing the gap each week and now has a much faster car.
The tension is guaranteed to build in the last six Grands Prix of the 2024 season. However, Norris has made it clear that despite being friends off the track, he won’t “go easy” on Verstappen in the race.
Speaking to The Athletic, he said, “As soon as I put on my helmet, I hate everyone.”
“That doesn’t change. A lot of people think that just because you get along well with someone here or play video games together, you’re best friends in life no matter what you do. That’s just nonsense.”
“We do things like that. We have similar interests. We play padel together, those kinds of things. I like Max as a person; I think he’s a very genuine guy. But when I’m on track, that doesn’t change anything.”
Norris went on to explain that his friendship with Verstappen gives him extra motivation to beat the Dutchman, who is chasing his fourth consecutive world title with Red Bull.
He added: “I think the people you get along with better off the track are the ones you want to beat more on the track, which is the opposite of what a lot of people think. They believe that because you’re friends, you’re somehow better on track together. I think it’s the exact opposite.”
Norris most recently crossed the finish line over 20 seconds ahead of Verstappen in Singapore. The Red Bull star hasn’t finished ahead of Norris since the Belgian Grand Prix on July 28.
