While the whole world was busy watching who was going to grab the pole position in Abu Dhabi amidst insane battling between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, McLaren’s Lando Norris sneakily produced a stunning lap to secure his first top-3 start since Sochi.
Of course, this is a much-needed result for Norris, who is in the midst of his own battle for P5 against Charles Leclerc. But, the Briton doesn’t seem to mind about that and is rather happy to be at the front-seat viewing of the forthcoming Hamilton-Verstappen battle.
So, is Norris going to team up with Verstappen and deny Hamilton the world championship title? Well, Norris revealed his answer during the post-qualifying interview.
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What did Lando Norris say?
Asked whether he had a chat with Verstappen over working together to beat Hamilton, Norris hilariously stated that he would play a ‘double-game’ by chatting with both the title rivals, pretending to be their friend, and breaking their plans out to each other.
Norris was gisteren weer on fire 😂🔥
Hij gaat geen keuze maken tussen Max en Lewis, maar probeert ze allebei te vriend te houden 🤝🏁 GP van Abu Dhabi
⏰ Vanaf 12:05 uur
📺Ziggo Sport (kanaal 14 & Select)
🎁 Voor heel Nederland gratis te zien!#ZiggoSport #F1 #AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/PShXBywebh— Ziggo Sport Racing (@ZS_Racing) December 12, 2021
“I feel like I’m on both sides of the party here. I’m gonna have a text from Lewis and I’m gonna have a text from Max. And I’m gonna pretend to be both their friends,” Norris said during an interview with the Netherlands-based media house, Ziggo Sport.
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We’ve already spoken: Norris
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Asked if a team plan with Verstappen is ready, Norris cheekily affirmed that he had already spoken with the Dutchman over ways to overcome the threat of Hamilton. However, soon, the McLaren driver clarified that he has his own race to focus on and is better off being a mere spectator to the battle for the title.
“Yeah, we’ve already spoken. Look, I’m not getting involved. I have my own race with a car, so, don’t put any words in my mouth,” Norris concluded with a subtle smirk on his face.
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Overall, Norris has made it quite clear that he isn’t keen on interfering with Hamilton and Verstappen on the track. But, he did assure that if and when the opportunity comes, he would take it with open arms. So, are we set to witness an insane finish to what has been a wild F1 season?
Read More: McLaren: That’s One of the Reasons Why Lando Norris Is So Popular