McLaren drivers poke fun as they avoid discussing Max Verstappen’s Spanish GP penalty

McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri danced around the subject of Max Verstappen’s penalty following the Spanish Grand Prix. 

The Red Bull driver was handed a 10-second penalty following a collision with Mercedes’ George Russell. It was a hot topic following the race, but also one that the majority of drivers tried their best to avoid discussing with the media. While speaking to Sky Sports F1 after his Spanish campaign, Norris took the opportunity to poke fun at Russell. 

“Was that you and Max together? I can’t believe you turned on him like that. That was crazy,” Norris joked sarcastically.

After being asked about his experience duelling with the four-time champion, Norris joked that “George should have got a penalty. It’s clear.”

“My race was very good today, and the team had a great one-two,” he added, moving on from the question. “I was happy with my pace – just too difficult to follow around a track like this.”

Continuing the questioning, Sky Sports F1 reporter Rachel Brookes pushed for Norris’ thoughts on the penalty, but he shot her down once again.

The post-race press conference unsurprisingly brought on more questions – questions that the Papaya drivers dodged once again.

“Oscar told me he had some interesting opinions on it, so I’m going to pass straight over to him,” Norris said with a smile.

Piastri responded, “Team-mates – with you… so fun! In all honesty, I don’t fully get the context of what happened. It looked a bit strange. Like, I thought he was giving the position back… So I don’t really get what happened there.

“I don’t know if it was a misunderstanding, whether he didn’t brake… I don’t really know. I think I need a bit more context on what happened, but obviously it was not exactly a small touch. I don’t have that much more, but it obviously didn’t look great.”

Norris was once again asked for his thoughts. Adopting a more serious tone compared to his earlier jesting, the driver was still keen to separate himself from the incident.

“It’s not what he said earlier, but – yeah, again, I don’t know what happened,” the McLaren driver asserted. “I’ve not heard what Max has said, and I’ve not heard what George said, so I don’t think it’s something for me to comment on for now.”