Max Verstappen's blunt response to Lando Norris claiming Red Bull always complains

Max Verstappen dropped a blunt response to Lando Norris, who claimed that Red Bull drivers always complain following their altercation in Singapore. The drivers were involved in a verbal tussle after an incident during the Singapore GP qualifying session.

Verstappen was on his final hotlap in Q3 and aiming to clinch pole position as Norris was heading back to the pitlane. However, the defending champion aborted his lap after a snap of oversteer on turn 17, at about the same time Norris could be seen heading into the pits. Verstappen claimed that the dirty air from the McLaren hampered his lap.

Norris later hit back at the Red Bull drivers' comment, saying:

"They always complain. They complain about everything. That's Red Bull. I don't even know. I was like three seconds ahead. I can't work it out."

Verstappen then responded, saying:

"Well, that’s exactly what I would say as well if I were him."

George Russell ended up winning the Grand Prix, his second victory of the season. Meanwhile, Verstappen finished in second place, with Norris trailing behind him.

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Max Verstappen claimed Lando Norris broke the "unwritten rule" during Singapore GP qualifying

According to the regulations, drivers not on a hot lap are required to move off the racing line and leave sufficient space if they are being trailed by a driver on a hot lap during a qualifying session. This is done to ensure that the drivers do not face obstacles during qualifying laps.

However, there is another aspect that can ruin a car's performance: dirty air. The current generation of Formula 1 cars is so sensitive to air that the dirty air from a car ahead can impact the car following it within an approximately 7-second gap. This was one of the reasons Max Verstappen was agitated with Lando Norris.

He claimed that Norris did not pit his McLaren earlier, which left quite a bit of dirty air for his Red Bull to contend with, hampering his lap. While this was technically not "blocking" Verstappen, he mentioned that this is an "unwritten rule" that Norris did not abide by.

"You can't say he's holding me up, because he's not blocking me. But especially in this phase of qualifying, everyone always leaves a gap of at least eight seconds. That's an unwritten rule," he said (via De Telegraaf).

Lando Norris started the race in P5 but made early moves and clinched P3. He reduced the gap to his teammate Oscar Piastri in the drivers' championship but still trails by 22 points.