Norris takes aim at Verstappen as he scrutinises his racing style

It comes into focus after the Spanish Grand Prix, which saw Max Verstappen swerve into George Russell and receive a ten-second time penalty and three penalty points, meaning he is a point away from having 12 points on his licence, resulting in a race ban.

At the end of the race, in the cooldown room of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Norris commented on the move Verstappen made in the final few laps, saying, "I have done that in Mario Kart before" after watching the incident.

“I don't remember saying that,” Norris joked while speaking to the BBC. It wasn't the first time that the McLaren driver has expressed some criticism towards the style of racing from the Dutchman, but the friendship between the two of them remains the same.

"I don't think he's done anything untoward towards me. He's raced against me very, very toughly, as he has the right to do. He's made my life very, very tough at times. And he has the right to do that," continued the 25-year-old.

Off the track, Verstappen and Norris are friends, but on the track, they have had multiple clashes, starting last year at the Austrian Grand Prix when the two collided, forcing the Brit to retire the car.

Also, in the United States and in Mexico, emotions ran high, with Verstappen receiving a total of 20 seconds in penalties for his actions in Mexico when racing Norris in what was a tight title battle last season.

However, there is still plenty of respect for Verstappen from Norris: “I've said it many times, I have a lot of respect for Max. The driver he is, the person he is, what he stands for all of the time. And what he's achieved, his four world championships. That's four more than me, and he's had a lot more race wins than me.

"I race in the aggressive way I believe is correct, and he does the same. The stewards are the ones who decide what is right and wrong," concluded Norris