"It’s all fun and laughter ‘till they race again": Fans react to Max Verstappen and Lando Norris' friendly banter during the press conference

F1 fans were left unaffected by Max Verstappen and Lando Norris's friendly banter during the press conference in the official pre-season testing. The two drivers have been close friends for quite some time now, and even spend some quality time off the track given that they both live in Monaco. However, there were some tense movement moments during the 2024 season when both drivers were in the title fight while the McLaren driver was chasing the Dutchman.

In the press conference in F1 testing, Verstappen and Norris looked in a jovial mood and laughed off the talk's tension between the duo. When asked to describe their off-track dynamic after 2024, the Red Bull driver said:

"Yeah, it's a terrible relationship. We don't get on anymore. It's taken its toll. Yeah. Big drama."

Norris also quickly joined in the fun and replied:

"We had a fight the other day in a local pub."

The four-time F1 world champion concluded:

"We had to get escorted [out]. I always say you should see the other guy... but he still looks good, so, whatever!"

F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to Max Verstappen and Lando Norris's banter on X, with one fan saying:

"It’s all fun and laughter ‘till they race again."

"They are laughing right now, let’s see when the battle heats up on the track"

"They knew this question was coming for over three months. They are friends. Sometimes friends “fight”," a fan said.

Here are more reactions.

"The media hates that they can be good friends and rivals at the same time. They NEED the drama," another wrote.

"Maybe it will not last long (until mid season if they both fighting for the wc) but I think it’s reasonable that they make up bc who wants to be in a fight w a friend over a false narrative made by the press," another said.

"Max is so funny," another reacted.

The pair even came to blows on a few occasions such as in Austria, Mexico, and Austin while going wheel to wheel against each other in podium positions.

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Lando Norris delves into his dynamic with Max Verstappen ahead of the 2025 season

McLaren driver Lando Norris said he and Max Verstappen looked forward to more on-track battles in the upcoming season.

Speaking in the press conference, the four-time F1 race winner reflected on the close competition in 2025 and said:

"I think we both look forward to more of last year, more battles. 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. We get along. We've always said those kind of things.

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."

Verstappen won the title in 2024 comfortably with a gap of 63 points to Norris despite the Briton's car advantage in the second half of the season.