James Hinchcliffe says Lando Norris goaded Max Verstappen with parc ferme comment at Qatar Grand Prix

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Lando Norris was able to claim the final spot on the podium in the Qatar Grand Prix Sprint race ahead of Max Verstappen, and the McLaren star made it clear that he didn’t feel like he was under pressure from the Dutchman in his post-race comments.

Oscar Piastri was able to convert his pole position for the Sprint race in Lusail into his first win across all formats since his victory at the Dutch Grand Prix in August.

The result saw Lando Norris’ lead in the title fight cut down to 22 points, but the British driver now holds a 25-point advantage over Max Verstappen after managing to fend off some advances from the Red Bull driver in the opening laps of the race.

After being asked in his post-race interview with Jolyon Palmer about the four-time world champion being in his rear-view mirror, Norris coolly responded, “I never saw him actually, I just saw George [Russell] ahead.”

• READ MORE: Lando Norris shares whether he’s treating Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri equally in F1 title fight

James Hinchcliffe thinks Lando Norris sent a ‘message’ to Max Verstappen with his comments in parc ferme

During F1’s post-race analysis of the Sprint race in Qatar, Palmer and James Hinchcliffe referred back to Norris’ comments regarding his championship rival and shared whether the British driver was telling the truth, or simply trying to get into the head of Verstappen.

The former F1 driver began by saying (29/11 15:52), “Well, I was there with championship rivals before, and as I said, they’d be behind you, and you’re thinking, ‘Can it be someone else?’

“And then it’s Max Verstappen, who thankfully was never my title rival when I was coming through. I might not have won a title. But yeah, it’s an interesting thing, because obviously Max was never going to make the move there, as you say.

“He was just trying; it was simply distraction tactics. So for Lando to come out and say, ‘I never saw him, never cared.’ Distract all you want, mate.”

Hinchcliffe then added, “Yeah, it’s great if that’s true. I mean, you’d be surprised if you didn’t notice something in his inside mirror.

“Just a flash of colour, it’s a yellow nose on that car. But that just means he’s so focused forward. And if anything, it’s a message to Max.

“Like, if you want me to know you’re there, you’re going to have to really be there.”

• READ MORE: Jos Verstappen disagrees with what Max Verstappen said about Lando Norris after Las Vegas Grand Prix

Lando Norris responds to claims that Max Verstappen would have already won the title in a McLaren this year

In the official post-race press conference, Norris was asked about Verstappen’s previous comments to the media about whether he would have already won the 2025 F1 title if he were driving a McLaren this year.

The Dutchman believes he would have, and it seemed to have struck a nerve with the British driver, who responded to the query with, “He’s very welcome to say whatever he wants to be honest. He’s earned the right; he’s won four world championships.

“I have a lot of respect, and I think that gives anyone a lot of credit in general. He’s achieved an incredible amount, more than anyone generally dreams of achieving.

“Max generally has a good clue about a lot of things, but there are also a lot of things he doesn’t have much of a clue about.

“It’s also Red Bull’s way of going about things; it’s this kind of aggressive nature and just talking nonsense a lot of the time.”