Daniel Ricciardo: Lando Norris Was 'Very Confident' To Copy Max Verstappen In Dutch GP Moment

Saajan Jogia | Aug 29, 2024

Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Second placed Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren talk in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari Circuit on May 19, 2024 in Imola, Italy. / Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Daniel Ricciardo applauded Lando Norris' confidence for using Max Verstappen's catchphrase "simply lovely" over the radio after winning the Dutch Grand Prix and beating Verstappen at his home race by a massive gap of 23 seconds.

Verstappen uttered the phrase several times in the last few years of the ground effect era throughout his pole positions and dominating victories. However, Norris decided to have some extra fun by stealing the popular phrase after crossing the finish line at Zandvoort.

When Norris's race engineer, Will Joseph, cheered him after the victory saying, “Well done, well done – mega drive.” The McLaren driver responded, in Verstappen style:

“ Uh-huh. Simply lovely, huh?

“Thank you, well done, boys. Incredible job, the car was unbelievable, thank you so much. Let’s keep pushing.”

Having been teammates with both Norris and Verstappen, the Australian driver observed that Norris's confidence is growing as he achieves more success. Meanwhile, Verstappen has not secured a single victory in the last five rounds of the 2024 season, a stark contrast to his 19 wins out of 22 races in 2023.

Given Verstappen's competitive nature and Norris closing the gap in the Drivers' Standings to just 70 points, Ricciardo suggested that Verstappen wouldn't have taken Norris's jab lightly and hinted that a response from him is likely at Monza. He told the media ahead of the Italian Grand Prix:

“They both are obviously supremely talented.

“I’ve had the pleasure of being team mates with both of them.

“Lando, I think his confidence is growing the longer he spends time in the sport and the more success he has. Very confident to throw out a ‘simply lovely’ after the race. As much as [Max and Lando] are friends, I know how competitive Max is.

“He would not have taken that very nicely or too well, so we’ll see how he responds this weekend.”

"Very confident of him (Norris) to throw out a 'simply lovely' after the race. I know as much as they're friends, I know how competitive Max is, he would've not taken that very nicely - so we'll see how he responds this weekend"

okayyy daniel i see upic.twitter.com/mXak1S83Yg

— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) August 29, 2024

Although Norris and Verstappen are known to be friends off the track, their recent clash at the Austrian Grand Prix, where they made contact while battling for the lead, resulting in punctures for both and Norris's eventual retirement, has already introduced some tension. How Verstappen will respond to the latest jab at Monza remains to be seen.

Speaking of Ricciardo, the 35-year-old driver is yet to secure a seat for 2025 with his team. Offering a timeline, he said something should be finalized in the near future, but he prefers to focus on his performance. He told Formula1.com:

“I would say some things should get confirmed in the not-so-distant future. I don’t think anyone will have to wait until October/November, I think things will happen sooner than that.

“For me now, I’ve got to focus on what my hands and feet are doing behind the wheel, and that will make my chances as good as anything if I can perform.”