Max Verstappen vehemently accused Lando Norris of impeding his opportunity to secure pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix, further asserting that this particular incident “will be remembered” by him.
During the critical final stages of the qualifying session at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Verstappen was making a determined attempt to overtake George Russell of Mercedes for the leading spot. At this juncture, Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri were surprisingly not in contention for pole. Verstappen encountered Norris in the closing sector of the circuit.
Verstappen felt that Norris, who was already on his way back to the pit lane after completing his final timed lap, should have made a more concerted effort to provide a clear racing line for the Red Bull car. The Dutch driver speculated that the turbulent air generated by the McLaren caused him to make a crucial error at the final chicane.
Immediately following Verstappen’s lap, his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, communicated over the team radio: “You can thank your mate for that. Hard luck.”
Verstappen’s immediate response was an expletive, after which he provided his explanation of the incident during a post-session interview.
