F1 | Verstappen: “I would choose Norris as a teammate”

It's no secret that between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris there is a relationship of respect and friendship, born on the track and also cultivated in the world of virtual races. In an interview given to the German newspaper Amus, the world champion confirmed that his ideal team would include the current McLaren driver.

Verstappen dodged the question when asked who he thinks would be his toughest teammate (“Everyone does different things well in different cars”) but when asked which drivers he would choose if he were a team principal, came out more in the open.

“If I were allowed, I would take myself and then Lando – confirmed Max – he is still young, with a long career ahead of him, and he is also very, very fast. If instead I had to exclude myself, together with Lando I would take Oscar (Piastri), as a rookie he was very fast, obviously he still has some things to improve such as race pace, but from what I've seen he is a very intelligent boy and I'm sure who will win his races.”

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing

Regarding the internal confrontation with Sergio Perez, Verstappen wanted to clarify his position when asked what happened from the weekend in Miami onwards, a weekend in which Max literally took off, outclassing his teammate.
“We need to consider the complete scenario. In Saudi Arabia (race won by Perez) I started from fifteenth position, while in Baku the safety car didn't work in my favor. I think it's not entirely correct to talk about 'balance' in the first four races of the season, from my point of view it didn't go that way, (Perez) was closer, but all the circumstances must be taken into account.”

Max then denied suggestions that Red Bull had evolved its latest cars based on the needs of the Dutchman's driving style.
“All the engineers develop the car to make it faster – reiterated Verstappen – then each driver adapts it as he thinks is best for him, but let's talk about setup. Regarding my driving style, I can't say what it is, but I can say that I adapt to the needs of the single-seater, following the path that leads it to be faster. This is the key to being a true Formula 1 driver, knowing how to adapt to what the team makes available to you.”