McLaren’s Lando Norris has labelled his pit lane incident with Max Verstappen as just “racing” after the 2025 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix.
The Dutchman maintained his composure to fend off Norris in a superb drive, setting a new record as he became the first driver to win four races in a row at the Suzuka Circuit.
In an uneventful Grand Prix, one of the biggest talking points came at the only round of pit stops, as Verstappen and Norris exited the pitlane close together.
The British driver had been trailing the four-time World Champion during the medium tyre stint before closing in after 20 laps.
As the Red Bull driver peeled into the pits, Norris followed him in, and the McLaren team completed a quick turnaround to allow him to rejoin the pitlane alongside Verstappen.
Norris attempted to pass his rival before rejoining the track, but he ran out of room and ended up on the grass, as the stewards quickly determined that the incident required no further investigation.
Over the team radio, the McLaren driver suggested that he had been forced onto the grass by Verstappen.
However, speaking after the race in parc ferme, Norris went back on his earlier verdict.
“It’s racing, I think,” the 25-year-old said.
“I mean, he was still ahead; it kind of squeezes into one.
“Max is the last guy I expect to give me any space, in a good way and in a racing way, so nothing more than that.”
Norris: We had ‘nothing special’ to beat Verstappen
In the cooldown room, the pair were able to joke about the incident as Verstappen dubbed the McLaren an “expensive lawnmower”.
Norris, however, was quick to congratulate the race winner after he downplayed the pitlane incident.
“Yeah, I guess I just lost out yesterday,” he added.
“Max drove a good race today, no mistakes, and the pace was too similar to today to do anything more.
“So a long race, a lot of pushing, it was a flat-out race from start to finish.
“So tough, but yeah, just not enough today.
“Nothing special that we had that we could get Max on; they were quick and had no mistakes, like I said.
“So he deserved it.”
Expecting a one-two this weekend, McLaren was forced to settle for a two-three instead, but Norris insists that the performance of the RB21 under Verstappen has led to its shortcomings today.
“I think it’s been a very good weekend,” Norris continued.
“Obviously, we didn’t get the positions that we wanted.
“We were fighting for a win every weekend, but they deserved it, both Red Bull and Max deserved it this weekend, and they’re quick.
“They’ve been catching up; they’ve obviously made some improvements.
“As a team, we didn’t have enough this weekend, so we have to work harder for the next one.”
READ MORE – Why a McLaren overcut on Max Verstappen ‘wasn’t on the cards’ in Japan
