US Grand Prix: Lando Norris says he will face ‘consequences’ for collision with Oscar Piastri in Singapore

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, who is 63 points behind Piastri in the championship but won two of the last three races and finished second in the other, was asked at a press conference in Austin on Thursday whether he believed McLaren was supporting Norris.

He replied: “Absolutely.”

He laughed and then said, “Yes.”

Leaving the press conference, he said off the microphone: “Yes, there is a headline.”

BBC Sport asked Verstappen for clarification on whether he was joking, and he said through a PR expert that he was joking.

Asked about the same nepotism, Verstappen added: “Honestly I don’t know. And I don’t care either. It has nothing to do with me. They do everything they think is right and they do a very good job of acting so quickly.”

“The most important thing for me is that we maximize our potential and as long as we do that, everything is under our control.”

Piastri said: “I am very happy that there is no favoritism or prejudice.”