Max Verstappen and Lando Norriswere in fine fooling form at the pre-season test in Bahrain with the pair expectant of a closely fought but respectful contest on track when the world championship begins and poking fun at any notion of lingering tension between them.
Last season as they went head to head for the title in the second half of the year, friction rose between the two drivers. A series of on-track incidents, notably in Austria, Austin and Mexico, included the Dutch driver controversially forcing Norris off track. After the race in Mexico City, where Verstappen was penalised, Norris stated: “Today was not fair, clean racing, therefore he got what he had coming to him.”
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The pair have, however, long been friends and were clearly at ease – for now – as they sat next to one another in a press conference at the Bahrain International Circuit. When asked about their relationship in the wake of last season, neither could keep a straight face.
“It’s a terrible relationship, we don’t get along any more,” said Verstappen. “It’s taken its toll. Big drama now, big problems.” A theme to which Norris warmed. “We had a fight the other day in a local pub,” he quipped. “I always say you should see the other guy, but actually he still looks good,” added Verstappen to appreciative chuckles from Norris.
That there has been no carry over of any bad feeling from 2024 was palpable but Norris also maintained that he was expectant of a tough fight again. “We both look forward to more battles,” he said. “I don’t think it’s just going to be us. I think there’s going to be others involved, which will make it more exciting for everyone. I know they’re going to be tough battles and I’m sure some of them are not always going to end the way I want or hopefully Max wants.
“We’re racing drivers. We get along. I know everyone tries to make their own points and say what’s correct and what’s not correct. But we respect each other a lot and we look forward to more racing on track.”
The teams had been embarrassingly wrong footed by the weather in Bahrain on the second day of testing. When a light but persistent rain began falling on Thursday morning with only two teams having brought wet weather tyres, running all but ground to a halt for over an hour.
Unlike a race weekend where Pirelli bring a full selection of all tyres, for testing the teams choose their own allocation of rubber. Only two of the ten, Aston Martin and Haas, opted to have wet tyres supplied.
As the light rain fell in the desert, while barely enough to trouble with an umbrella, it did stop play. Esteban Ocon ventured out for a couple of laps for Haas, a brief foray but enough for the team to put the boot in on social media.“Where’s everyone else at on track? Forget your inters did you?” the team posted on X.
In the opening session Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets for Ferrari, putting in 45 laps and finishing four-tenths up on his former Mercedes teammate George Russell. In the afternoon, once more with sporadic rain, Carlos Sainz was quickest for Williams, three-hundredths up on Hamilton’s earlier time, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in third.
