Lando Norris and Max Verstappen’s ‘Norstappen’ pair is going through a tough time right now. The two friends, who have known each other since their junior racing days, are also the biggest Championship rivals now. On the points table, it is Max at the top, but McLaren‘s Lando is quickly catching up. At the Austrian GP, the papaya army racer and the Red Bull golden boy had contact, leading to disastrous results for both. And during one of his recent interviews, Norris indicated there is still beef between him and Max with a cheeky answer.

Last weekend at the Red Bull Ring was an exciting time for F1 watchers. For a long time, F1 viewers had complained the races were becoming boring since current Champion Max Verstappen appears unrivaled at most of the races. But the McLaren MCL38 of Lando Norris had nearly the same speed as polesitter Max’s Red Bull RB20 in Austria during Qualifying. So, during the Main Race started, Norris and Verstappen had a duel for the lead of the pack. To defend against the papaya army racer, the Dutchman left a very narrow space for the McLaren.

This resulted in a contact between the two as Max’s RB20 dropped to the fifth spot and Lando had to retire due to extensive damage to his car. Following the Austrian GP mishap, Lando Norris publicly dragged Max Verstappen, calling his drive ‘reckless’ and ‘desperate’ at the post-race press conference. And even during a podcast interview that aired today, days after the race at the Red Bull Ring, Lando still sounds like he holds a grudge against his Dutch friend.

At Heart Breakfast’s podcast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden, McLaren racers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri went as guests to talk about their F1 lives. At one point, the Belgian-British driver talked about which fellow racer he would invite to celebrate with him if McLaren gets 1-2 at the upcoming British GP. Lando said, “Well, I would’ve said Max Verstappen but…” Then, the interviewer asked if Max would be omitted because he would be ‘bitter’ for coming third. The 24-year-old made it clear that he was heartbroken over their tussle. In the end, he chose ex-teammate Daniel Ricciardo to go partying with after the Silverstone race. But how long does Lando want to continue his beef with his friend Max?

Will Lando Norris never forgive Max Verstappen for the Austrian GP drama?

After the Austrian GP incident where he had contact with Verstappen, Lando walked away with zero points. At a time when his World Championship rank is at stake because the gap to Charles Leclerc is too narrow, the McLaren driver knows every single point is too precious. Even though he is still holding on to the second position on the Drivers’ Standings, Leclerc is only 6 points away. If the Monegasque surpasses Norris, the Belgian-British driver might never forgive his friend Max Verstappen for costing him his entire race in Austria.

Speaking about the incident between Norris and Verstappen, McLaren Boss Andrea Stella commented, “The entire population in the world [knows] who is responsible – except for a group of people. But the problem behind it is that if you don’t address these things honestly, then it will come back.” However, Max Verstappen never addressed the clash he had with Lando as he never said sorry. Since the Dutchman has been unapologetic about causing his friend to lose several Championship points, it is possible Lando still holds a grudge against him.

Speaking of Lando Norris’ position in the Championship, his McLaren has shone through recently due to the recent upgrades. However, he does not want the onlookers to believe too quickly that the papaya army is the fastest team based on just the recent performances. Do you think, in the long run, Lando can maintain his consistency and get past Verstappen in the Championship battle this year? Let us know in the comments below.