Asked during an interview with Sky Sports F1 about uttering the “simply lovely” phrase that has been used so frequently by Verstappen in recent years, Norris offered his side of the story.
“Well, I mean, he’s won a lot of races and he’s done a lot of things,” said Norris. “I don’t know – I’m not prepared for it, I don’t prepare myself for it, so it just felt like the easiest go-to.”
PALMER: Norris could still mount a genuine title challenge this year – if he fixes one crucial part of his race weekend
Pushed if there was anything more behind the message, with Daniel Ricciardo suggesting that Verstappen “would not have taken that very nicely or too well”, Norris added: “Honestly, it doesn’t mean anything to me from my side.
“I’m not trying to make a statement, I just want to go and win and go home! I don’t care about trying to make statements to try and do all of this.
