Max Verstappen and Lando Norris joked about their friendship during a press conference at F1 testing (Image: Getty)
Max Verstappen and have attempted to laugh off any perceived tension between them ahead of the 2025 F1 season. When asked about their relationship during a press conference at pre-season testing in Bahrain, Verstappen ”. Meanwhile, a chuckling Norris, who was sat next to the world champion, quipped that the pair had had a “pub fight”.
However, those smiles may be turned upside down if they find themselves head-to-head for the title race again. The duo were involved in several flashpoints last season as Norris and fought back after and ’s dominant start to the season. They made contact as they fought for the lead in Austria, with both cars suffering damage.
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Verstappen limped home in fifth while Norris had to retire. The star was widely criticised for his aggressive defending, with Norris demanding an apology after the race.
When asked if their friendship might now be affected, Norris replied: “It depends what he says. If he says he did nothing wrong, then I will lose a lot of respect for that. If he admits to being a bit stupid, running into me, and just being a bit reckless, then I will have a small amount of respect for it.
“I expected tough, fair, respectful on-the-edge racing, and I don’t feel like that is what I got. It seemed a little bit desperate from his side and it didn’t need to be that way.”
To no one’s surprise, an apology wasn’t forthcoming from Verstappen, with former driver David Coulthard quipping that “hell would freeze over” before the Dutchman would say sorry.
Verstappen and Norris’s friendship was tested last season (Image: Getty)
However, the pair did have a clear-the-air chat, with Norris backtracking on his apology demand at the following British Grand Prix. He said: “Some of the things I said after the race was because I was frustrated. There was a lot of adrenalin, lot of emotions and some of the things I said I don’t necessarily believe in.
“He doesn’t need to apologise and I don’t expect an apology. It was good racing, at times close to the edge, but we have spoken about it and we are happy to go racing again.”
But their relationship was tested again as they battled for position at the Mexico City Grand Prix. As he fought to keep the quicker behind him, Verstappen ran Norris off the road twice in the space of a few corners, earning him a combined 20-second time penalty.
Speaking after that incident, ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, Norris insisted the pair weren’t close friends. He admitted: “Everybody thinks we are better mates than we are. I don’t talk to him every day. I don’t talk to him every week. I don’t talk to him every month. I have other people who are my real friends. My true friends.
Verstappen and Norris have dismissed any suggestions of tension between them (Image: Getty)
“He’s a guy I get along with well off the track. He’s a guy I respect a lot. I have known him longer than anyone else on the grid, from karting. I was speaking to him last week before the race and having a laugh.
“That doesn’t change. I am good at keeping things separate. Whether a good thing or bad. How I focus on track is different from off track. If someone treats me like s*** on track, it doesn’t mean I will treat them like s*** off the track. They are two different worlds.
“There have been very few people in the world who has done what Max has been able to do. There are 99 things that he is better at than everyone else in the world, and one thing that he is not.”