Lando Norris takes aim at Max Verstappen: “If he were fighting for the title, he wouldn’t be racing elsewhere”. Lando Norris criticizes Max Verstappen for competing in the Nürburgring 4 Hours.

Last Sunday, during his Formula 1 break week, Max Verstappen didn’t rest. On the contrary, he used the time to compete in the 4 Hours of Nürburgring Nordschleife behind the wheel of a Ferrari 296 GT3. Starting from third position, he capitalized on the chaos in turn one, immediately taking the lead and holding it all the way to the checkered flag.

What the Dutch driver accomplished is truly remarkable: driven purely by passion, he challenged himself on the Green Hell, risking his own safety, even though the Formula 1 championship is still ongoing. After the feat, many of his colleagues applauded him, but one was not entirely impressed.

That driver is British F1 star Lando Norris, currently in the fight for the 2025 World Championship. The McLaren driver stated: “I respect Max for what he’s doing, but he’s in a much easier position to do so, unlike, for example, me and Oscar Piastri. If he were actually fighting for the championship and tried these kinds of things, I don’t think it would look good.”

With these remarks, Norris implied that Verstappen’s success was partly facilitated by the freedom to race without the pressure of a world championship battle. The British driver also reflected on his experience at the 24 Hours of Daytona alongside Fernando Alonso, adding: “When I retire from F1, I plan to take part in other races. Daytona at the time was an incredible experience, and I intend to do it again, as well as compete at Le Mans. The only type of racing that doesn’t really appeal to me is oval racing.”