F1 pundit suggests Lando Norris races more aggressively with Lewis Hamilton as compared to Max Verstappen
F1 pundit Peter Windsor suggested in his latest YouTube livestream that Lando Norris tends to race more aggressively with Lewis Hamilton as compared to how he does with Max Verstappen. The debate first began at the 2023 F1 US GP where the trio battled for the win with Max coming out on top.
During the race, Max Verstappen was able to line up Lando Norris for a pass on the straight with a late lunge down the inside. Later in the race when Lewis Hamilton was pursuing Norris, he was in the DRS zone and gaining on him down the start-finish straight. In what was a somewhat late attempt to defend, Lando swerved to the inside to prevent Lewis from overtaking.
From the outside, it did appear that the McLaren was probably more aggressive when it came to the Mercedes as compared to the Red Bull. There is however context as well as the overtakes were at different junctures of the race.
Talking about the overtakes on his YouTube livestream, Peter Windsor suggested that there was an element of differing perceptions for both drivers that played a role. Talking about Max and Lando first, Windsor said (h/t PlanetF1.com),
“I suppose deep down inside Lando probably thinks, you know, Max is this incredible guy that seems impossible to beat and I suppose he does always treat Max with a lot of respect.
"I guess with Lewis he’s thinking, you know, I’m one of the young British new superstars and Lewis is one of the older British superstars and I’m not afraid to race with this guy, I think it’s more that probably."
He added,
"I think in general, Lando is pretty good in terms of racecraft and ethics on the track. I think if somebody asked me what do you think about Lando’s racecraft and how he drives with other cars, I’d say generally he’s very, very good."
Lando Norris not afraid to be aggressive against Lewis Hamilton as compared to Max Verstappen
Peter Windsor further felt that Lando Norris was not afraid to be too aggressive against Lewis Hamilton as compared to Max Verstappen. He said,
“I suppose with Lewis, he’s not afraid to be pretty aggressive and maybe in your opinion [responding to the fan’s question], do something a bit ridiculous, but I think with Max, it seems that Max has a bit of an aura about him if you’re a driver like Lando and that may change, obviously, as time goes on.”
It's hard to understand or believe whether there is truth to the fact that Lando Norris races Lewis Hamilton differently from Max Verstappen. It is often said that drivers tend to leave their emotions to one when they're trying to compete on the track.
It is also often stated that they zone out completely when they've got their helmets on and are trying to win. Maybe the Max Verstappen-Lando Norris friendship gets blown out of proportion but it would be a stretch to expect the McLaren driver to favor the Red Bull driver over Lewis Hamilton, especially in a battle for the win.