Lando Norris fired back at Juan Pablo Montoya with ‘don’t care’ statement about Max Verstappen

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Lando Norris faces the real possibility of a title fight in 2025 as he starts the campaign in a far better position than he ever has.

McLaren are expected to race out of the blocks and be in contention for victories from race one at the Australian Grand Prix.

Norris ended last season by taking a constructors championship-clinching victory under the lights in Abu Dhabi.

It could have been a disastrous evening for them after Oscar Piastri collided with Max Verstappen at the first corner and was taken out of contention for solid points.

Norris and Piastri received a bizarre honour after McLaren won the championship and now have a crane named after them by one of the team’s sponsors.

Their eyes are set on the upcoming 24-race calendar now though, and Piastri hasn’t spoken to Norris over a 2025 title battle but thinks it’s obvious that it will happen.

Lando Norris hits back at Juan Pablo Montoya with ‘don’t care’ comment

The relationship that Formula 1 drivers have with each other has transformed over the last 20 years, with rivals turning more into friends by the day.

It led to questions from Juan Pablo Montoya regarding how the current crop engage with each other. He told F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast last year that he didn’t agree with the friendships.

“Now, with social media, the teammates are best friends! They go for dinner, they play padel together! In my day, you wouldn’t talk to anybody,” he said.

READ MORE: Carlos Sainz shares what Lando Norris ‘lacked’ compared to him during their time as McLaren teammates

Norris fired back in disagreement, using his relationship with Verstappen as an example that off-track matters mean nothing when the lights go out.

“I would never go out to dinner on Saturday night with someone. I love JPM, but as much as I would hate to say it, I don’t care. It depends what you class as mates,” he said.

“People make it sound like we’re [Norris and Verstappen] best buddies and [that] we chat every day. We play padel a lot and we do these things. Sometimes I’ll fly with him and that kind of stuff, but when we’re on track, he doesn’t care what I’ve done for him in the past or what we’ve done together in the past.”

Lando Norris insists he isn’t ‘arrogant’ after Nico Rosberg criticism

Norris is confident that he can compete for the title in 2025 after his team brought a variety of developments to their car over the winter.

It’s hoped that it will be enough to maintain a slight advantage over their rivals but with the teams closer than ever ahead of the 2026 F1 regulations, they might be in a bit more of a dogfight.

Following a ‘next year’s my year’ radio message, Norris insists he isn’t arrogant after Nico Rosberg criticism and that he believes he can genuinely win now.

READ MORE: Oscar Piastri ‘proud to share’ one thing Lando Norris said in McLaren meeting after 2024 season

He faces the most intense opposition that he ever has, especially now that Lewis Hamilton has arrived to add to Ferrari’s charge.

Liam Lawson could add to Red Bull’s operation too, creating the potential for a six-driver battle for the title.