Is there room for real friendship between Formula 1 drivers?

Formula 1 teams spend a great deal of time creating PR events for their two drivers to cohabitate, often the pair (even their reserves) having 'fun' and a jolly good time to keep the clicks clicking. But how real is that nond? Is it not just for the show and to keep sponsors happy?

This year much was made of the 'friendship' between Red Bull's four-time world champion Max Verstappen and his title rival McLaren's Lando Norris. The pair have always been on good terms until, of course, they clashed for most of the second half of the 2024 F1 season.

What had been a friendship between the pair clearly turned sour during the course of 2024. The history of F1 has many instances where drivers, including teammates, 'fell out of love' as the frailties of F1 camaraderie are tested each time they have a session.

Looking back in time, F1 driver and Grand Prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya recalls his relationship with Michael Schumacher when they slugged it out a couple of decades ago: “He was tough. He was a tough guy to beat, and everybody had so much respect for him that he was, for me personally, really annoying!"

"People would say, 'Oh no, you're Michael Schumacher; go ahead, after you!" recalled Montoya. "I was never like that. I always thought, Screw you, I'm not going to give you an inch. The rivalry was all on the track. We never really spoke to each other much. Every opportunity he could screw me over, he would, and every opportunity I could screw him over, I would. It was fun.

“He was ruthless, and I was the same way. It wasn't about being ruthless; it was about doing your job. You can’t be friends in F1. How can you be so friendly to somebody that in the next race you might need to drive off the track to win the race?

“The problem is, once the feelings for somebody come and you like the person enough, it makes it harder," reckoned Montoya, before weighing in on today's rivalry in F1: “But put it this way: if it were Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen would go in and take him out, no questions asked. But if it’s Lando Norris, is he going to do the same? No, you don't, because he's your friend and you respect him.

“As soon as you start respecting him as a friend, then you might lose that edge of being comfortable, putting them upside down," reckoned Montoya.