Ralf Schumacher has questioned whether a friendship still exists between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris after two tension-fraught races in Austin and Mexico.

Although it was all Verstappen at the start of this season, the Dutchman racing to seven wins in 10 Grands Prix, Norris began to peg him back as McLaren nailed their in-season upgrades.

Separate flights? Ralf Schumacher reckons Max and Lando have fallen out

The MCL38 emerged as the fastest car on the grid and Norris as a championship contender, taking points out of Verstappen’s lead in Italy, Azerbaijan and Singapore.

Norris reduced his deficit to 52 points with the victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, and it was all to play for at the United States Grand Prix.

But having been pushed off the track at Turn 1 on the opening lap by Verstappen, Norris wasn’t willing to let it go the second time that happened and, attacking the Red Bull driver for position on lap 52, was again pushed wide. This time he kept his foot in and stayed ahead of his title rival as they rejoined only to be penalised as the stewards ruled the apex was Verstappen’s.

A week later they were back at it in Mexico, Verstappen again using the run-off to defend as he forced Norris wide at Turn 4 on lap 10 and then again at Turn 7. Both incidents earned Verstappen 10-second penalties.

Unlike their Austria incident, this time there were no clear-the-air talks on the Monday morning between the friends.

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“I still have a lot of respect for Max and everything he does, not respect for what he did last weekend, but respect for him as a person, also what he’s achieved,” Norris said in the build-up to the Brazilian GP.

“But it’s not for me to speak to him. I’m not his teacher, I’m not his mentor or anything like that. Max knows what he has to do. He knows that he did wrong, deep down he does.”

Verstappen confirmed they hadn’t spoken since Mexico, but insisted what happens on the track has nothing to do with being friends or enemies.

“We both understand we’re fighting for the championship; we’re not going for a lap around the church,” he said. “We always told each other we need to race each other hard, so not much has changed in that regard.

“You know what it is? Everyone on the circuit knows that even if you’re the best friends, if you’re fighting for the championship you are both going to go for it.

“You can either be best friends or hate each other, but what you do on the circuit stays the same.”

But while there were smiles and handshakes after the Sprint race in Brazil while Norris also congratulated Verstappen on his Grand Prix win a day later, Ralf Schumacher does not believe their friendship has survived this title bout.

“I was surprised because they didn’t fly together in the last few races, which was usually the case,” Schumacher told Formel1.de YouTube channel.

“I’m not even sure whether the friendship still exists.”

However, if they have fallen out, the German says that’s understandable as it’s not easy to maintain a friendship when “you’re really fighting for the World Championship and for positions, like the two of them are doing.”

The bout, though, is all but over as Verstappen’s Grand Prix victory in Brazil saw him extend his advantage over Norris to 62 points. With just 85 still in play, the Briton would need a miracle for himself and a disaster for Verstappen to overhaul the reigning World Champion.

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