Martin Brundle says Lando Norris is finally ‘wise’ to Max Verstappen’s wheel-to-wheel tactics

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Martin Brundle says Lando Norris is now more aware of Max Verstappen’s tricks after their battle at the Miami Grand Prix.

After spinning on the opening lap, Verstappen made an early pit stop that put him out of sync with the frontrunners. He would take the lead of the Grand Prix when Norris and Kimi Antonelli pitted, but on much older tyres.

Antonelli duly got past Verstappen on the run to turn 11 on lap 29, though Norris had to wait a little longer.

Martin Brundle praises smart Lando Norris racing vs Max Verstappen at Miami Grand Prix

Norris deployed his battery down the back straight to pass Verstappen, and while the Red Bull driver tried to regain the place with a move down the inside, the reigning world champion was expecting it.

He simply cut back underneath Verstappen and pulled clear on the run to the line, seeing off any further attack at turn one.

What would you rate the Miami Grand Prix out of 10?

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Norris’ racecraft was criticised when he first fought Verstappen for the title during the 2024 season. The two drivers were involved in numerous controversial incidents as the McLaren driver failed to clear the aggressive Dutchman.

Commentating on the battle live on Sky Sports, Brundle said: “Will he try to lunge back? Yes, he will. At which point Norris will tuck underneath him, and then, presumably, in turns 17 and 18, grabs the high ground.

“We’ve still got to pay attention all the way down into turn one. Lando’s wise enough, these days, to know that Max is going to come back at him.

Lead commentator David Croft added: “He’s learned a lot in the last couple of years, Lando, and he was very patient.”

Why Lando Norris wasn’t happy with Max Verstappen’s driving at Miami GP

Verstappen was also passed by Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri and George Russell as his hard tyres degraded, though he later got back ahead of Ferrari after Leclerc sustained damage.

Does Max Verstappen need to recognise when he’s beaten?

Lando Norris questioned his racecraft in Miami

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Watching footage of the battles in parc ferme, Norris suggested Verstappen was ‘ruining his own race’ by refusing to yield to faster cars and costing himself time.

Carlos Sainz also criticised Verstappen on Sunday, suggesting that he was overly aggressive when racing in the midfield because he knew that most drivers would get out of his way.

A fifth-place finish was Verstappen’s best result of the year so far, though he would naturally have hoped for better after starting on the front row.