F1 CONFIDENTIAL: Why it’s good that Lando Norris hasn’t spoken to Max Verstappen since their Mexico clash, Red Bull won’t be able to dump Sergio Perez easily and Christian Horner eyes highly promising youngster

Lando Norris says he has not spoken to Max Verstappen since the collision at the track in Mexico. My immediate reaction was also that it was about time. They fight for the world championship and don’t form a boy band.

They must stay out of each other’s way – off and on track – until the fate of the title is decided, hopefully not until the final round in Abu Dhabi on December 12.

A few weeks ago I asked Norris if he would rather win the championship than remain friends with Max. He said yes, but did he mean it?

The impression was so long that 26-year-old Verstappen had it exactly where he needed it. It was as if Lando, 24, looked up to him like an older brother.

That idea was underlined when Norris said last week that Verstappen was the best driver in the world. Would a competitor have said the same about a contemporary in the middle of the battle? With the exception of Juan Manuel Fangio’s sportsman supreme Stirling Moss, I can’t think of any.

Perhaps last weekend’s skirmish, for which Verstappen received two 10-second penalties for forceful driving – the first was heavy-handed in my opinion; the second, by any reasonable assessment, strengthened the Briton’s resolve.

Asked whether there has been verbal contact since he called Verstappen’s driving dangerous, Norris said: ‘No, we have not spoken. I don’t think that’s necessary. I have nothing to say.

‘I still have a lot of respect for Max and everything he does. No respect for what he did last weekend, but respect for him as a person and what he has achieved.

‘But it’s not up to me to talk to him. I’m not his teacher; I’m not his mentor. Max knows what to do. He knows he did wrong. Deep down he does. And it’s up to him to change, not me.”

Strong words from Norris. He is not a natural knight.

As for Verstappen, he remains the best racing exponent of his time, and a blood shot won’t change that.

Why Checo could be difficult to dislodge

I’ve been reliably told that Sergio Perez has no performance clause in his contract, meaning he can’t be fired because he’s ninth in the standings.

If, as seems almost certain, he makes a move in the coming weeks, his contract for next year will require some unraveling. The respected Julian Jakobi, Ayton Senna’s former manager, looks after Perez’s affairs with a shrewd eye.

Who’s next on the Red Bull merry-go-round?

Who should replace Perez? Liam Lawson is likely to make the move from RB. Who should replace him then?

I’m told Red Bull boss Christian Horner is interested in Williams’ very impressive 21-year-old Franco Calapinto. The Argentinian will be without a seat next year when Carlos Sainz becomes Alex Albon’s partner.

Should Williams pass on signing Sainz at great cost when they could have hired Calapinto for free with the help of some serious Latin American backing?

“He is surprisingly much better than his results in Formula 2 suggest,” said Colapinto’s Horner.

Yes, but what would it mean for the Red Bull Driver Academy if Calapinto is promoted ahead of Isack Hadjar, the 20-year-old Algerian-French driver who has been on the team’s books since May 2021 and has outperformed Calapinto in every respect. category, every season?

Confidential tip to stay safe in Sao Paulo

Jenson Button walked into the Hilton hotel club room on a Saturday evening looking shocked. He, father John, manager Richard Goddard and trainer Mikey Collier had just been held at gunpoint during the hairy ride through the favelas along the road leading to and from the Interlagos circuit.

We went to the lobby to catch up with Goddard, who talked about how their trained local driver drove away from the scene, and then a few of us picked up the phone to file the story. A few hundred words on the Mail on Sunday deadline from me.

Shootings on this stretch have occurred frequently over the years. Team members are told to remove their equipment. Their cars have no license plates and the presence of armed police has increased in recent years.

My best policy is to use a standard taxi.

A calendar change would honor the magic of Interlagos

There is so much drama running through the mind when visiting Interlagos, this undulating and atmospheric gem.

Here the last part of Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari career could be seen. Seeing Lewis Hamilton miss the title as the best rookie ever by one point. Then I saw him take the title a year later by the same small margin, passing Timo Glock’s Toyota in the final corner, while Felipe Massa’s family were already celebrating in the Ferrari garage. His father’s face fell to the ground as he realized his son was not a champion.

Seeing Jenson Button win his one and only title in 2009, a race earlier than he was likely to do.

My own preference would be for the season to end in Sao Paulo again. The place is buzzing with energy. Abu Dhabi, which pays a premium to be the last stop, looks beautiful and is fine for a yacht party, but it’s a poor itinerary compared to this place.

Hamilton’s emotional exhaustion

Lewis Hamilton was jeered by locals when he took on Massa in 2008. Now he is an honorary citizen of Brazil, which is quite something.

On Saturday he will drive the red and white McLaren with which his hero Ayrton Senna drove to the world titles around Interlagos in 1990.

“An emotional experience,” Hamilton said of his turn behind the wheel. Lewis cried behind his father’s car when he heard the news of Senna’s death. He didn’t want his father to see his tears.

This weekend’s surprise guest

Bernie Ecclestone only comes to Formula 1 occasionally these days. But Interlagos is an obvious location for him. He and his Brazilian wife Fabiana, vice president of the FIA, own a coffee farm in Amparo, about 150 kilometers outside the sprawl of Sao Paulo.

Ecclestone, who turned 94 this week, lives mainly in Gstaad, Switzerland, but spent part of the lockdown safely on his plantation.

Can’ most indicted journalist in the world

Tom Rubython is perhaps the most indicted journalist in the world. The latest of some 25 lawsuits against him resulted in former Chelsea chairman Ken Bates being awarded £150,000 in damages at the High Court last week.

Rubython, editor, director and majority shareholder of BusinessF1 magazine, profiled Bates under the extraordinary headline: ‘The biggest mistake in sport’. He alleged that Bates “directed the murder of business rivals to further his business interests.”

Bates’ attorneys provided “detailed explanations as to why the allegations were false.”

Rubython, representing itself, argued that Bates “already had such a bad reputation that the company could not have suffered serious harm as a result of the article’s publication.”

Deputy Supreme Court Justice Aidan Eardley disagreed, hence the important award for Bates.

News of the verdict sparked questions in the paddock about the future of the magazine, which revels in being a thorn in the side of the sport’s personalities and panjandrums. Would it close?

Well, the latest edition, only online for now, is out.