Motorsports
Verstappen’s only job is to beat me, not win races
Lando Norris accepted that Max Verstappen’s sole job for the rest of the 2024 Formula 1 season is to beat him in races, and that his own role is to return the favour without being “over-ambitious”.
Red Bull found greater performance in the United States Grand Prix thanks to a floor upgrade, which helped Verstappen to victory in the Austin sprint race – his first race win in F1 since the Spanish GP in June.
Following Norris’ five-second penalty for passing Verstappen off the road at Turn 12, the Dutchman was again classified above the Briton to ensure he extended his championship lead to 57 points.
Norris said that Verstappen has placed much less importance on victories and has now focused on simply beating whatever he does, which might require “little changes” to the McLaren driver’s manner on track.
“We saw Max didn’t care if he won or was second or third, his only job was to beat me and he did that – so he did a good job from that side,” Norris explained.
“I had a lot of fun and I respected the battle that we had. He still ended up on top and I need to be beating him. So some little things I need to change but I don’t need to change my whole approach.
“I am still staying clear and avoiding collisions which a lot of things that we have done could have been or turned into worse things like bigger crashes. I avoid them and therefore races could’ve ended earlier than they have.
“Getting caught up in collisions like Turn 1 or Turn 12 could’ve easily been that he’s in a much more powerful position than I’m in, so it’s up to me and the team to try to overcome that.”
Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Norris suggested that it was “too easy” to suggest that he should have awarded the place back to Verstappen, explaining that he might not have had another chance to pass owing to the condition of his tyres.
He added that the team supported his point of view over the incident at Austin, stating that he was simply doing what he felt was best at the time.
“It is too easy for people to say this [give the place back]. My tyres were getting hotter and hotter and getting away from me more and more,” he said.
“My pace difference to Max was decreasing, so if I let him back past there might not have been a chance to get past him again.
“I am always just trying to do what I think is best at the time and within the rules which I believe to be correct. Sometimes it is difficult, hence why I asked the team ‘what do you guys think?’.
“Ideally the stewards would say ‘we don’t think this is right, give the position back,’ that would be a much more simple thing to do, but that’s not how it works.
“I believed I was in the right, and I asked the team for confirmation and they believed we were in the right. Therefore I’ve continued.
“I think we are doing a good job as a team; I think our approach is correct, but sometimes you don’t come up on top.”
Radioactive for the NASCAR Cup Series at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the South Point 400.
Yuki Tsunoda is surprised it has taken Red Bull so long to offer him a Formula 1 test, but thinks elements in the “background” have stopped it happening before now.
As revealed by Motorsport.com earlier this week, Tsunoda is being lined up for his first proper run in a Red Bull F1 car after the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
The details have not been finalised yet – and Tsunoda admits the plan could yet fall through – but he has expressed delight that he appears to be finally getting the opportunity.
“I think that this will happen, maybe” he said ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix. “But with Red Bull Racing, you never know until the day.”
Despite having raced for Red Bull’s sister squad under its AlphaTauri/RB identity since 2021, the Japanese has only ever managed to drive a Red Bull car in demo runs.
Asked if he was surprised it has taken so long to get to this point, Tsunoda said: “If you asked that in the second year or third year I’d be very surprised, but it’s up to me to get used to it.
“I kind of got used to how difficult [it was] to get even a single day [of] testing [when I am] outperforming most of the team-mates previous years.
“But yeah, there are probably things that I didn’t really know [about], something going on around the background that I didn’t know. And for sure, at the same time, there’s probably the view that I’m not really able to improve as much as they wanted at this level, especially for radio communications.”
Yuki Tsunoda, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, on the grid
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Although Tsunoda would have hoped to have his Red Bull opportunity before now, he thinks even a single day of running will give him a chance to demonstrate what he can really do.
“It’s a very good opportunity,” he said. “At least I finally can show a bit of my driving and they just can see how I’m driving.
“I think it’s very important. So at least it feels great. Finally, they’re giving me an opportunity. I don’t know if it still happens or not, but there’s something even I heard from them directly. So, yeah, I try to maximize my opportunity.”
Tsunoda has also thanked Honda, which has supported his career and played a key role in pushing Red Bull to give him the F1 run.
“Definitely Honda helped me to push that testing,” he added. “I am very appreciative of them.
“Obviously, I was pushing since already the first race, as well, even for last year. But yeah, I was able to show results that I [have] stepped a little bit more compared to last year and also there was a push to Red Bull as well.”
Marc Marquez ended the opening day of action for the Thailand Grand Prix atop the timesheets with a new MotoGP lap record to his name at the Chang International Circuit.
The Gresini Ducati rider, who won last time out in Australia, left it until his final time attack to hit the front with a 1m29.165s to outpace championship leader Jorge Martin in Buriram.
With Ducati once again commanding the pace as it locked out the top four positions, Pramac’s Martin had looked good to get what is a crucial weekend off to a flying start as he lowered the erstwhile record benchmark with his 1m29.275s lap in the closing minutes.
However, Marquez would go on to come in below that as the seconds ticked down, allowing the six-time MotoGP world champion to complete Friday in front.
Martin did go again to lap quicker through the opening splits but would see the effort go away from him as he settled into second place, just ahead of a late improvement from Enea Bastianini as title contender Francesco Bagnaia on the second of the factory Ducatis slotted into fourth.
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Maverick Vinales broke up the Ducati run with the fifth fastest time on the Aprilia, ahead of Pramac Ducati’s Franco Morbidelli, while Tech3 GasGas’s Pedro Acosta was made to leave it late for the lap that put him safely inside the top ten and therefore a Q2 spot in seventh.
It was the same case for Gresini’s Alex Marquez, who is joined by VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi and top Honda rider Johann Zarco in assuring a spot in the pole-deciding session on Saturday morning.
Those who will need to go again in Q1 include Brad Binder and Jack Miller on the factory KTMs, the pair being split by Fabio Quartararo on the best of the Yamahas in 12th.
Elsewhere, Aleix Espargaro ventured back onto track despite his heavy fall during FP1, but the Spaniard would cut his afternoon short before it was announced he would take a trip to hospital to undergo further checks for injuries sustained in the last corner slip off.
Alex Kalinauckas and Stuart Codling dive into the media day drama, with McLaren instigating a Right of Review over Lando Norris’ five-second United States GP penalty.
0:00 Intro
0:34 What is happening?
2:13 Previous examples
5:21 Drivers’ opinions
7:13 Gravel traps at COTA
8:41 Perez reflects on his 2024 season
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