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By Nelson Espinal
Contributing Sports Reporter
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McLaren driver Lando Norris hit back at Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who had some choice words for the Briton.
Verstappen is never one to shy away from expressing his true feelings, regardless of whether they cause controversy or not.
After qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix, the Dutch driver called out Norris for allegedly going slowly, leading Verstappen to abandon his push lap upon locking up around Turn 16.
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Over the radio, Verstappen's engineer Gianpiero Lambiase said, "you can thank your mate for that,” referring to Norris and Verstappen's off-track close relationship.
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Verstappen, when speaking to David Coulthard after qualifying, offered not-so-friendly remarks towards the McLaren driver.
"That's what happens when there's a car in front of you just cruising two seconds in front. That's noted, it will be remembered as well," Verstappen said, directed at Norris.
Motorsport.com asked Norris about the comments from Verstappen, although he expressed confusion about the source of the Red Bull driver's anger.
"They always complain. They complain about everything. That's Red Bull. I don't even know. I was like three seconds ahead. I can't work it out," he said.
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Verstappen's frustration stemmed from his battle with Mercedes' George Russell for pole position. The fight for the top starting spot essentially boiled down to Russell and Verstappen, with both McLarens and Kimi Antonelli seemingly a step slower than the pair.
Ultimately, the distance between first and second place was less than two-tenths, and Verstappen is of the mind that the difference could have come down to his time on the aborted lap.
“So that was a bit of a shame. Otherwise, I think it could have been close for pole. It’s always very exciting here in qualifying," Verstappen said.
“Of course, a little bit disappointed to not be first but for us this weekend, so far, it’s been really good.”
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