Max Verstappen joked about Lando Norris and his ‘expensive lawnmower’ after their close call at the Japanese Grand Prix which saw the McLaren man go off track at the pit exit
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen laughed off their close call at the Japanese Grand Prix in the minutes after the race. They got the chance to speak about it in the cool down room while waiting for the podium ceremony.
Verstappen won the race having found enough pace in his Red Bull to keep the two McLaren cars behind him at bay. They key moment came when both he and Norris stopped for new tyres at the same time and a slow change for the Dutchman presented the Brit with an opportunity.
They were side by side as the exited the pit lane but Verstappen had the track line and was unwilling to yield it. Norris had to go onto the grass to avoid a collision but the stewards ignored his claims that he had been forced off the circuit.
Norris piled on the pressure for the rest of the race but Verstappen kept calm and delivered a first win of the season. And it was all smiles between the two of them afterwards despite that incident at the pit exit.
Seated in the cool down room with third-placed finisher Oscar Piastri, they were presented with the opportunity to discuss it when replayed of their close call were shown on the big screen in front of where they were sitting while they waited for the podium ceremony to begin.
READ MORE: Japanese Grand Prix result in full as Max Verstappen and Lando Norris clash once againREAD MORE: Max Verstappen accuses Lando Norris of breaking Japanese GP rule as stewards make decision
Norris was the first to speak, jokingly saying: “Argh!” in faux fear as the replay showed his car heading onto the grass. He then turned to Verstappen and said: “I saw that wall coming quite quickly.”
The Dutchman smiled and paused for a few seconds while he watched another replay of the clip. And, commenting on footage of the McLaren bouncing over the bumpy grass, he smirked as he quipped: “That’s quite an expensive lawnmower,” prompting a laugh from Norris.
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Speaking a few moments earlier in the post-race interviews in parc ferme, the Brit was gracious in defeat to his rival and admitted that, looking back on their incident, neither of them had done anything too wrong.
He said: “I guess I just lost out yesterday [in qualifying]. Max drove a good race today, made no mistakes. A flat out race from start to finish, so it was tough but there was nothing we could get Max on.
“[The pit lane incident] was racing. Max is the last guy I expect to give me any space, in a good way, in a racing way. They deserved it this weekend. They are quick, they have been catching up and as a team we didn’t have enough this weekend, so we need to work hard.”
Commenting on his win in engine supplier Honda’s final home race with Red Bull, Verstappen said: “It was tough, pushing very hard. The two McLarens were pushing me very hard so was a lot of fun out there. I’m incredibly happy – [Suzuka] means a lot to me. I knew I needed to try and stay ahead, in our final farewell race to Honda in Japan. This is the perfect send off.”