The Lando Norris vs Max Verstappen drama keeps taking new turns with each day. What started with the two racers’ clash at the Austrian GP has become a full-blown controversy now. But Lewis Hamilton has stayed eerily quiet about it. The 7-time World Champion knows Verstappen’s rivalry better than any other racer on the grid. Still, he has not commented on behalf of Lando. Thus, the McLaren racer took a dig at Lewis for staying silent in his latest interview.

As Max Verstappen’s biggest Championship rival, Lando Norris is currently in a situation that is quite familiar to Lewis Hamilton. In 2021, the F1 world saw Hamilton and Verstappen fight for the World Championship and the Dutchman ultimately won. However, the victory was shaky at best because several people claimed the F1 Race Director’s wrong decision had made Verstappen win. In the end, Michael Masi, the accused Race Director, had to step down from his role. But the results of the 2021 season were never overturned.

Ever since then, the F1 world believes Lewis Hamilton has a rivalry with Verstappen. Surprisingly enough, he did not speak up about the Austrian GP incident involving Max and Lando Norris despite his feelings towards the Dutchman. When an interviewer approached him for his comments, Lewis simply said, “I didn’t make anything of it. I just focused on my race.” He was further asked if he had any advice for Norris as a former Championship rival of Verstappen’s. Then, the Briton replied, “They have been racing each other for many years, so there’s nothing.”

When the contact between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris led to the latter retiring from the Austrian GP, the FIA found the Dutchman guilty. The stewards slapped Max with a 10s penalty, and Norris’ Team Principal Andrea Stella also dragged the reigning World Champion for his risky driving. Seeing that Hamilton had nothing to say against Verstappen, Lando Norris mockingly commented, “I’m sure Lewis would [have] agreed with it 2,3 years ago…100%.”

While Lewis Hamilton refused to comment on Lando Norris’s fight against Max Verstappen, Lando’s boss Andrea Stella has recently taken the stand for the Mercedes driver. What was it that the Italian has said that got on Max Verstappen’s nerves?

Andrea Stella firmly takes Lewis Hamilton’s stand against Max Verstappen for 2021

In 2021, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s fight for the World Championship stunned the entire F1 world. The two racers went head-to-head at the Abu Dhabi Grand Finale where Max came out victorious. However, the results of the race were dubious because of Michael Masi’s wrong decision. Since those incidents did not lead to the cancellation of Verstappen’s debut F1 title F1, McLaren Boss Andrea Stella believes that Max deserves a harsher punishment.

Speaking about why the reigning World Champion made the risky maneuver that cost Lando Norris his entire Austrian GP outing, Andrea Stella commented, “They [problems with Max Verstappen’s driving] have come back today because they were not addressed properly in the past, when there were some fights with Lewis that needed to be punished in a harsher way. Like this, you learn how to race in a certain way, which [is] fair and square.” However, Verstappen himself dismissed Stella’s claims vehemently when a reporter told him. The Dutchman simply said, “I don’t agree with it.”

In the upcoming F1 Grands Prix, Max Verstappen‘s fight with Lando Norris will only go up several notches. The two racers sit at the top of the World Championship right now. Their results in the remaining 13 races of 2024 will determine who wins the F1 crown this year. Do you think, as the season advances, controversies surrounding Max and Lando will grow even further? Please share your opinions in the comments below.