"Of course I wished Lando Norris Happy Birthday, first thing in the morning": Max Verstappen on if he wished happy birthday to his title rival

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen claimed that he wished his good friend and McLaren driver Lando Norris "Happy Birthday" recently. On November 13, the British driver celebrated his 25th birthday while preparing for the race in Las Vegas next week.

The three-time world champion was closely pushed by the 25-year-old on the track in the 2024 season. Although there were moments of nervousness between the two drivers during the season, they maintained respect and admiration for each other, even as their on-track battles heated up.

The Dutch driver, on his most recent stream online, confirmed that he wished Lando Norris on his birthday and said:

"Of course I wished Lando Norris Happy Birthday, first thing in the morning."

Max Verstappen recently addressed a question inquiring whether his dynamic with Lando Norris had changed, given their on-track championship battle. As per RacingNews365, the soon-to-be-four time champion said:

"We get it outside the track. If you look back on it in 10 years, you'll get it. You can be best friends or hate each other, [but] on the track it stays the same. If you're going to make a difference, that's not good, I think.

"Nothing changes in that respect. We spoke about it [the incident in Austria] in England [ahead of the British GP]. We both understand that we are fighting for a championship. It is not a walk in the park!"

Lando Norris gives his take on his equation with Max Verstappen

McLaren driver Lando Norris stated that despite him and Max Verstappen having similar interests off the track, his friendship does not influence the way he races the Dutchman.

Speaking with The New York Times, the British driver pointed out that he "hates" everyone when he puts his helmet on before going to the race, saying:

“As soon as I put the helmet on, I hate everyone. That doesn’t change. A lot of people think because I get along with someone here, or because, I don’t know, just play on a (video) game with someone, that you’re just best mates in life, no matter what you do. That’s just nonsense.

“We do those things. We have similar interests. We play padel together, that kind of stuff. And I like Max as a guy, I think he’s a very genuine guy. But that doesn’t change anything when I’m on the track.”

Lando Norris can still mathematically deny Max Verstappen from winning his 4th consecutive championship this year given that he has to win every single competitive race and hoping that the Red Bull driver finishes below P6.

After the sprint in Brazil, the 25-year-old had closed the gap in the title battle to 44 points but Verstappen gained 18 points in the main race to take a 62-point lead over Norris.