Verstappen on Norris' unusual Dutch GP idea: 'I'm not going to spend that!'
F1 News
- Estéban den Toom
Lando Norris jokingly said on Thursday afternoon at the Abu Dhabi that Max Verstappen should pay for a home race in Formula One out of his own pocket. It was announced this week that the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort will no longer be on the calendar after 2026.
"There's a good atmosphere, good music, it's crowded, it's noisy. I enjoy it. It's definitely a lot higher on my list than a lot of other weekends," Norris explained to GPblog and others. "Money decides a lot these days. That's a shame. To be honest, Max makes enough money. He should pay for it himself if he wants a home race; he should do it out of his own pocket," the McLaren driver said.
Verstappen responds to Norris' idea
When Verstappen was confronted with Norris' comments and asked if he still had 20 million lying around, the Red Bull driver said, "I do have it, but I'm not going to spend it on the race," in front of GPblog. In any case, Verstappen is happy that he got the chance to drive (and win) a Dutch Grand Prix.
"In the end, of course, it is the decision of the circuit itself. You can't be dismissive of that. I am very proud that we have achieved that: another Grand Prix on Dutch soil. I think when I started in Formula 1, it didn't look like that, but in the end, it's nice that it was made possible. I do look back on it with pride. It is still very special to be able to win your home Grand Prix a couple of times," concluded the reigning world champion.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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