P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Norris: Smart thinking, not friendship, behind Verstappen F1 defence approach
Lando Norris, the McLaren driver, has faced criticism for appearing to make passes easy for his friend and rival Max Verstappen. However, Norris insists that his approach to racing Verstappen has nothing to do with their friendship. He explains that he chooses his defensive tactics based on the specific driver he is racing against and the likelihood of being able to defend successfully. Norris acknowledges that there is no gain in being overly aggressive against a driver like Verstappen, who is in a quicker car and has better tire degradation. He believes that racing hard against someone who will inevitably pass you achieves nothing and can actually harm your own race. Norris maintains that he wants to race fiercely and not give up positions to anyone, including Verstappen, but he also takes a realistic approach to maximize his own race performance.
