'Clever' Verstappen praised: Norris doesn't 'recognise' how he races

12:10, 10 May

byLudo van Denderen

Last week, during the Miami Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri made a convincing overtaking move on Max Verstappen, while later in the race, Lando Norris had much more trouble with the Red Bull Racing driver. Gary Anderson, former technical director of Jordan and Jaguar, sees a clear difference in how the two McLaren drivers deal with Verstappen.

The difference in quality between McLaren's and Red Bull's car is significant. Friends and foes agree that Verstappen squeezes every bit of performance out of his RB21, but ultimately, he can do little once the McLarens appear in his mirrors. At least, he can make it very difficult for them.

"Verstappen is a very clever driver." Gary Anderson recognises in The Telegraph. "You do not win four world championships and 64 races without being smart. We see that from things he notices about other drivers in races, whether they are forward of their grid position or do not lift for yellow flags."

"I do not like drivers trying to get their rivals penalties, but there is no doubting that Verstappen is the sharpest operator out there, as well as arguably the quickest driver."

'Norris needs to step up against Verstappen'

To defeat Verstappen, you must be sharp in direct combat, according to the former technical director. "All drivers know he pushes the limits. From what we saw on Sunday and what we have seen in the past year, Piastri appears to be the smarter driver against Verstappen. Norris still has work to do."

Anderson acknowledges that Norris's race could have gone differently had Verstappen not pushed the Brit away at the start. "Yes, Norris lost out in the start and then maybe later on because Verstappen was aggressive, but he does not appear to recognise how the Red Bull driver races and adjust. Piastri does."