Norris accused of giving Verstappen preferential treatment in Hamilton battle

F1 team owner turned pundit Peter Windsor has claimed that Lando Norris is giving favourable treatment to close friend Max Verstappen during their battles on track when compared to his fights with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

The three drivers were locked into a fight for the victory at the United States Grand Prix last time out with Hamilton forced to battle past Norris on his way to the reigning world champion and race leader during the final stint.

When defending from Hamilton in the closing stages, Norris opted for an aggressive defensive line on the run down to the turn-one hairpin, forcing Hamilton to jolt out wide and get the move done with the cutback. 

This was a much more aggressive defence than he offered against Verstappen earlier in the race with the Dutchman taking the lead from McLaren’s star man following a move at turn 12. Norris offered a fightback around the outside at turn 13, but the Red Bull driver shut the door and scampered off up the road.

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Discussing Norris’ defending, Windsor suggested: “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.

“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.

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“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.

“I suppose with Lewis, he’s not afraid to be pretty aggressive and maybe in your opinion, 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.”

Since McLaren have taken steps towards the front end of the grid, Norris has emerged as the biggest threat to Verstappen and Hamilton in the battle for wins and podiums. The 23-year-old now has six to his name this season with four of those coming in the last four races.

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