It all started with Verstappen’s comments in an interview with F1, where he stated that he would have long since become world champion in the MCL39. The remark clearly didn’t sit well with Lando Norris, who expressed his displeasur after the sprint race.

The British driver said he respected the four-time world champion, but he also indicated that Verstappen didn’t seem to understand everything, and that people from Red Bull Racing in general, talked "a lot of nonsense."

Norris’s comments also prompted a response from Verstappen, who noticed that things were “a bit tougher this weekend” for Norris. And regarding the claim that he was talking “nonsense,” Verstappen said: “I always put facts on the table.”

Just before midnight local time, Andrea Stella also sat down for a session with the written media. After all the commotion over Verstappen’s remarks, GPblog asked the McLaren team principal whether it wasn’t annoying or distracting for the team or the drivers that a four-time world champion made such statements.

“We will never know, I guess," Stella said. "We are very happy that we have Lando and Oscar and we are working very hard to make sure that the champion is one of the two. 

In doing so, Stella continues McLaren’s line of keeping the focus primarily on the team itself: extracting the maximum from their own car and not concerning themselves with what the competition does or says.

Stella also insists that there is a lot of respect for the Red Bull driver and that Verstappen is certainly not out of the title fight yet after McLaren’s 1-2 ahead of Sunday’s GP. If Verstappen is eliminated, the champagne will be popped, the Italian said. In that case, a McLaren driver would be champion in the drivers’ standings anyway.

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.