Formula 1 world championship leader Lando Norris has said rival Max Verstappen talks nonsense and is sometimes ignorant after the Red Bull driver claimed he would have easily won the 2025 championship in a McLaren.
The four-time world champion with Red Bull is 25 points behind Norris with two races remaining in the championship.
McLaren, who won the constructors’ title for the second time in a row in October, is competing with Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri for the championship, while Verstappen gets the first treatment at Red Bull.
“Max is free to say what he wants frankly. He’s earned that right. As you know, he’s won four world championships,” Norris told reporters after finishing third in Saturday’s Qatar Grand Prix, which Piastri won with Verstappen fourth.
“He’s achieved an incredible amount – more than anyone would normally dream of achieving. Max generally has a good understanding of a lot of things, but there’s also a lot of things he doesn’t understand as much. It’s also the Red Bull way of doing things, that kind of aggressive nature, and yeah, just bullshit most of the time.”
Verstappen started from sixth place in the 19-lap race under floodlights at the Losail Circuit, achieving the first eight points.
Norris said he never saw Verstappen during the entire race, although he later amended that remark.
He explained: “Of course I saw him, but he did not pose a big threat at all.” “My focus was more on George (Russell) at Mercedes and seeing how I could keep the tires in good condition for later.”
The Briton added that he will continue to keep his head down and focus on one race at a time and ignore the chatter.
The Briton could win his first title in Qatar on Sunday. Otherwise, the battle will continue in Abu Dhabi next weekend.