"He has plenty": Lando Norris asks Max Verstappen for a special gift after 2022 F1 Belgian GP

Given Max Verstappen's dominant performances in Hungary and Belgium, Lando Norris has already predicted that the Dutchman will secure his tenth race win of the 2022 season this weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix and even jokingly asked the reigning world champion for the trophy, emphasizing that Verstappen already "has plenty".

The Briton confessed that he "loves" the Dutch Grand Prix trophy, although he does not expect to receive it after the weekend. When asked whether he thinks he could potentially win the upcoming race, Lando Norris, as reported by Express, made it clear that he believes the win will go to Max Verstappen:

“No, it’s Max’s. Everyone knows it’s Max’s already. Maybe Max will give it to me, he has plenty.”

Just before heading into the summer break, Verstappen drove an impressive race at the Hungaroring, where he managed to secure the win, despite starting in P10 on a track traditionally known to be rather difficult to overtake on. Similarly, after receiving an engine penalty last weekend, the Red Bull driver started the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix in P14 and managed to take the lead within the first twelve laps of the race. He went on to take yet another win, having absolutely dominated all weekend. Verstappen now leads the world drivers' championship standings with a whopping 93-points advantage over his teammate Sergio Perez, who stands second.

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FIA confirm that Max Verstappen's car is compliant with the regulations ahead of the Dutch GP

Before heading into the first practice session of the Dutch Grand Prix, it was revealed that the seal was broken in Max Verstappen's gearbox.

As reported by Express, an FIA delegate has confirmed that Max Verstappen's Red Bull is compliant with the regulations and would therefore not be facing a penalty for the same:

“A seal was broken on the gearbox of car number 01, driver Max Verstappen, in order to change the main shaft locking insert. This was done in accordance with Article 9.1.8 of the 2022 FIA Formula One Technical Regulations. The forward change gear ratio pairs of the gearbox of car number 01, driver Max Verstappen, were checked and found to be in compliance with Articles 9.6.1, 9.7.3 and 9.7.4 of the 2022 Formula One Technical Regulations.”

FP1 came to an early end this afternoon, however, for the 24-year-old, who later faced issues with the gearbox.

Despite his performances so far, Verstappen is still wary of the upcoming race weekend, admitting that he is unsure how the Red Bull's pace will compare to the rest at Zandvoort:

“Spa was amazing for us, and I think also better than expected. I think it’s just our car with the layout, it suited the car really well. Here, you run a lot of downforce on the car, it’s a completely different track layout, less straight-line speed in general. It’s gonna be interesting. If we nail our set-up the car will be quick, but it’s a bit of a question mark of how quick it will be compared to others.”

At the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix last season, Max Verstappen became the first Dutch driver to win the race. The 24-year-old will certainly hope to use his momentum to secure a second consecutive win on home soil and put on a show for the Orange Army.