Never mind keeping his elbows in to avoid an incident that could lead to a race ban, Lando Norris reckons Max Verstappen will actually “fight more” given his World title is on the line.

Verstappen will line up on Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix grid one point away from an automatic Formula 1 race ban.

Max Verstappen dial it back? Lando Norris says no

The reigning World Champion courted controversy last time out in Barcelona when he collided with George Russell as tempers flared after a late-race restart at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Verstappen, seemingly obliging Red Bull’s call to give Russell fourth place on the track after their earlier tangle, accelerated and crashed into the Mercedes driver.

Russell said that it “felt deliberate” while the stewards ruled that the collision was ‘undoubtedly caused by the actions of Car 1’.

Not only was the Red Bull driver punished with a 10-second time penalty, but he also received three penalty points on his Super Licence, putting him one point away from an automatic one-race ban.

But while a single point at the Canadian Grand Prix could sideline Verstappen for Red Bull’s home race in Austria, the 27-year-old was defiant when he spoke with media including PlanetF1.com in Montreal.

“I don’t know, why should I?” Verstappen said when asked if he would change his approach.

“It is what it is. I was on eight points before and now it’s 11. I mean, I cannot just back out of everything. I’m just going to race like I always do.

“I trust myself.”

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Asked if he thought he was deserving of a ban given he’s just one point away, he shut that down, saying: “I don’t need to go into that, to be honest.

“I mean, yeah, what is fair? I mean, is it fair that I’m on 11 points? I don’t know.

“But at the same time, life is not fair. If you look at it like that, I don’t worry about it. I just come here to race, and I will always race hard, race how I think I should race, and then we go on to the next race.”

Pointed out to him that he faces a ‘difficult’ season in which the potential ban could continue to be a hot topic as he only loses the bulk of his penalty points in October, the Red Bull driver replied: “Maybe for you, not for me. I don’t think about it.”

One person not surprised by the Dutchman’s defiant claim is his 2024 title rival, Norris.

The Briton, who sits second in the Drivers’ standings where he is 39 points ahead of Verstappen, believes if anything, Verstappen will fight harder as, at the end of the day, his World title is on the line.

“I don’t think anything really changes,” Norris said. “You don’t know what he’s going to do. So at this point, I’m trying to think of what to do differently. It’s the same as normal.

“I think he’s still going to fight. He’s further behind in the points.

“If anything, he’s still going to fight more.

“So no, there’s no point in trying to assume things or just guess because when you’re in the position of fighting on the track, you can’t just try and think: ‘oh, he’s going to give me more space and then he doesn’t and then something happens’.

“There’s no point assuming things or trying to think what other people are going to do.

“He’s still fighting for the championship. He still wants to try and win every race he can.”

Quizzed on whether Verstappen knowing he has 11 points could see him step away from his ‘natural approach’ to racing, Norris shut that down.

“Max is one of the best in the world because of how he drives. I don’t think anyone can argue against that. I think it’s quite a simple statement,” he said.

“Of course, he said he shouldn’t have done what he did. You can speak to him, you don’t need to speak to me about it but I’m sure he regrets doing what he did.

“What he did last weekend was obviously a little different to probably what he normally does. It was not just a simple aggression, and good, strong, on-the-edge defensive moves. It was something obviously a little bit separate from that.

“No, I think Max is who he is, and he’s achieved what he has because of how he drives. There is no reason for him to change that side.”

The drivers head into the Montreal race with Oscar Piastri P1 in the standings on 181 points, 10 ahead of Norris, with Verstappen a further 39 off the pace.

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