LANDO NORRIS hit back at a reporter after being asked about his championship battle with Max Verstappen.
The McLaren star is 47 points off his rival with just four races to go.
But he will start at the front of the grid for the Sprint in Sao Paulo after finishing second in qualifying behind team-mate Oscar Piastri.
Verstappen will start directly behind Norris in fourth place, with Charles Leclerc pipping him to third in Friday’s session, but the Dutchman will be hit with a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race.
Norris, 24, was pleased with his performance but his mood was dampened after a reporter questioned whether the result was good news for his championship battle with Verstappen.
Shaking his head, Norris told Formula 1: “I don’t care. I hate these questions so much.
“I’m just going to race. I don’t care about where he qualifies. For me, it’s just focus on my own job and that’s it.
“It’s the same question every time but it doesn’t matter. If he’s first, if he’s last, I’ll do the best I can.”
Norris and Verstappen clashed on the track last week in Mexico City, with the latter receiving two 10-second penalties for his actions.
Verstappen forced his rival off the track and the pair came close to a rash, with the FIA finding the Dutchman at fault.
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Norris was critical of the three-time world champion over race radio and has since claimed Verstappen knows he was in the wrong.
He said: “Max knows what he has to do. He knows he did wrong, deep down he does. And it’s for him to change, not me.
“Max is one of the most capable drivers on the grid, if not the most. He knows what he can and can’t do and what the limits are.”
