Norris downplays Verstappen incident: 'It was just racing' at Suzuka

Dominika Jordan
Apr 6, 2025, 05:42 AM ET

Lando Norris downplays Suzuka incident with Max Verstappen, calls it 'just racing'.

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

SUZUKA, Japan -- Lando Norris remarked that Max Verstappen was within his rights not to leave space during their wheel-to-wheel confrontation for the lead at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Starting from pole position, Verstappen led Norris initially, and both drivers pitted on Lap 21. The McLaren pit crew's swift work had Norris exiting the pit lane with his front wheels alongside Verstappen's Red Bull, but Norris ran out of space and ended up on the grass. Despite their mutual blame over team radio, Norris downplayed the incident afterward.

"It was racing," Norris stated. "Max is the last guy I expect to give me any space -- in a good way, in a racing way. They deserved it this weekend. They are quick... we didn't have enough this weekend."

Verstappen, asked about the incident, joked, "I think the grass was not really well cut on the right-hand side, so I think, yeah, Lando saw that as well." Norris humorously added, "I wasn't even trying to race Max. I was just trying to cut the grass!... I didn't even know he was there, actually."

The stewards noted the incident but chose not to investigate.

By pitting on the same lap as Verstappen, McLaren forfeited a strategic advantage. Pitting a lap earlier might have facilitated an undercut, but McLaren prioritized pitting Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri to protect from behind. Alternatively, Norris could have stayed out longer to benefit from fresher tires later, but the team feared losing position.

"Hindsight is a wonderful thing," Norris reflected. "I think we could have gone longer [than Verstappen]. Could I have tried going earlier? Yes. But then you're at risk of safety cars and other things... So it's easy to say, yeah, you should have done that. But if I boxed three laps earlier... and a safety comes out, then we look stupid."

Norris acknowledged areas for improvement. "High speed [corners], we're very, very strong... but slow speed, we're quite a chunk off of the Red Bull. That's where we lost in qualifying and consistently in the race. A lot of areas we have to work on."