Max Verstappen reveals he 'talked about' being future team-mates with Lando Norris

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen earned a historic victory in front of his home crowd at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend. Verstappen's triumph at rain-hit GP helped him in claiming a record-equaling nine straight wins. Following his resounding win at Zandvoort, the runaway Formula One leader claimed that he and McLaren’s Lando Norris have 'talked about' becoming team-mates in future. "We talk about it. But he's contracted to McLaren for a long time. We'll see what happens in the future,” Verstappen was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

Earlier, talking about his bonding with Norris, Verstappen had termed the McLaren racer a 'very good friend' of his. Norris was previously linked with a move to Red Bull but the 23-year-old’s current contract with McLaren will certainly not let him leave his team anytime soon. Norris’ present contract with McLaren is set to come to an end in 2025. "Lando is a very good friend of mine so I would never deliberately push him off the track... maybe he thinks I did," the 25-year-old had said in October last year.

While Verstappen earned a historic win at the Dutch GP, Norris finished seventh with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso secured the second spot and Pierre Gasly of Alpine earned a third-placed finish. This year’s win also marked Verstappen’s 11th victory in the last 13 races. The extreme weather conditions did make the situation a bit tricky at the Zandvoort circuit but couldn't deter Verstappen from clinching a remarkable win.

"Incredible. They didn't make it easy for us with the weather to make all the right calls. I already had goosebumps when they were playing the national anthem before the start. Even with all the bad weather, the rain, the fans are still going at it. So an incredible atmosphere,” Verstappen was quoted as saying by Reuters.

A win at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza next weekend will help Verstappen in breaking now-retired Sebastian Vettel’s long-standing record. Overall, Verstappen has so far bagged 46 wins in his illustrious racing career. He now looks well-poised to claim a third straight title this season. Sitting atop the drivers’ standings, Verstappen boasts a 138-point lead over his Red Bull teammate and second-placed Sergio Perez. Fernando Alonso, on the other hand, is placed at the third spot in the standings. On the constructors’ table, toppers Red Bull lead second-placed Mercedes by a comfortable margin of 285 points.