Norris HITS BACK at snitch claims following Verstappen incident

McLaren star Lando Norris has hit back at claims that he 'snitched' on Red Bull star Max Verstappen at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

With the race in Baku ending under virtual safety car conditions, Verstappen alongside a number of other drivers, was placed under investigation by the FIA for overtaking cars when he should not have been.

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The VSC was brought out after a dramatic crash between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez saw both fly into the wall on the penultimate lap of the grand prix.

Norris' team-mate Oscar Piastri was the eventual race-winner, leading home Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

Why was Max Verstappen investigated in Baku?

Despite the chequered flag being waved, Verstappen was placed under investigation for overtaking Norris and George Russell at the end of the race.

Onboard footage depicted the Red Bull star driving past the pair, motioning a thumbs up in a harmless incident.

However, the sporting regulations state that no overtaking is allowed during VSC conditions in case a marshal or emergency equipment is brought onto the track to attend to the incident.

In the end, Verstappen, and the three other drivers in question all received warnings, with similar situations having occurred before but not coming to the attention of the stewards, affording the four leniency.

It was Norris who spotted Verstappen’s overtake, and reported the fact to his team via his radio, leading to accusations that he snitched on his championship rival.

Norris was keen to stress after the race, however, that he was just stating what he had seen and not snitching.

“I didn’t complain about anything, I just stated facts,” Norris said to F1TV.

“I just had VSC on my dash with the yellow lights. Obviously, there was a crash with paramedics on track which normally means no overtaking but he was overtaking.

“So I questioned it, I quizzed it to my team because I didn’t think you were allowed to overtake but maybe I’m wrong.”

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