Red Bull fumes, McLaren counters as the championship battle intensifies.

      "I’m not sure if it was intentional or not"

      Max Verstappen's pursuit of the championship took a tense turn in Singapore when the Red Bull driver accused Lando Norris of preventing him from securing pole position. During the team radio communication, a Red Bull engineer humorously stated that Verstappen could "thank" his "friend" for missing out on the top spot, clearly referring to the McLaren driver.

      Later, Verstappen expressed to reporters that a competitor had been "cruising" in front of him during his final Q3 attempt. After he had to abandon that lap, he remarked, "So that’s noted. Will be remembered as well." When asked to specify which driver it was, Verstappen clarified, "Not Oscar (Piastri)."

      He added, "I mean, sometimes these situations are a bit more complicated. But in this case, during Q3 with only 10 cars on the track, I believe it could have been avoided." Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko shared his dissatisfaction as well.

      "Overall, we’re pleased to finally be competitive in Singapore," he told ORF. "It’s just unfortunate that Max is in second place instead of first. He was ahead by a tenth and a half on his final run, but Lando Norris obstructed him in the last sector. I can’t tell if it was intentional or not, but at that moment, pole position became out of reach."

      He reiterated his concerns to Sky Deutschland. "Lando Norris’s actions were inexplicable. He completely blocked Max in the final two corners. I hope he simply wasn’t looking in the mirror and that it wasn’t on purpose."

      Norris, however, firmly responded, especially during a weekend where he struggled to match the pace of both Verstappen and championship leader Piastri. "If someone has me on their mind, that’s their problem," he told Viaplay.

      In the media area, he continued, "Red Bull always complains. There was no issue with Max following me; there was a significant gap, so there was no problem at all. They’re constantly complaining about everything! That’s just Red Bull."

      McLaren CEO Zak Brown supported his driver. "Did I watch the wrong footage?" he asked Viaplay. "Otherwise, I can’t understand what they’re referring to when they say Lando blocked him. To me, this is a non-issue. Perhaps it comes from frustration or maybe Max was distracted by seeing someone in front of him."

      Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde said the alleged obstruction was minimal. "As Max approaches Turn 16, you see Norris turning in," he explained on Viaplay. "After that, Max loses momentum and misses the apex by half a meter. Then, he sees his delta time worsen. That’s when he gets frustrated."

      Sky Deutschland analyst Ralf Schumacher concurred with Norris. "We can discuss dirty air, but Lando is on his in-lap, and the only thing that could bother Max is visual," he stated. "Lando is performing his task, preparing to enter the pits. He’s driving slowly and to the left. I’m sorry, but I can’t side with Max on this one. The only fair action would be for the race engineer to inform Norris, 'Hey, watch out. Max is coming from behind. Ensure you don’t slow down.' That could have been communicated, but he wasn’t obstructing."