Verstappen and Norris experienced their first collision since McLaren became a contender to Red Bull in Formula 1.
Off the track, they were friends. On the track, they were friends. That was the dynamic between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris before the Austrian Grand Prix. However, things have changed since last weekend.
With only a few laps remaining, a needless clash occurred, ruining both drivers’ races and granting George Russell his second Formula 1 victory. The question now is, what does this mean for their upcoming race at Silverstone?
Due to a mishandled second pitstop, Norris managed to close the gap and get within the DRS range of Verstappen. This led to a multi-lap battle filled with close encounters. Despite Norris’ efforts, he couldn’t find a way past Verstappen at Turn 3 or Turn 4. He attempted daring moves at the former, but was frustrated by Verstappen’s defensive maneuvers under braking.
Continuing to express his dissatisfaction over the team radio, Norris requested his engineer to speak with the race stewards. Meanwhile, Verstappen believed Norris was becoming too desperate in his attempts to overtake. To make matters worse for Norris, he received a black-and-white flag warning for repeatedly exceeding track limits, putting him one step away from a five-second penalty.
On the following lap, Norris made a dive down the inside of Verstappen at Turn 3, causing both drivers to run wide and further jeopardizing Norris’ track limits situation. Once again, Norris complained over the radio, insisting that Verstappen should have given him the lead for going off track and gaining an advantage. Verstappen and his engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, questioned Norris’ tactics.
Verstappen claimed, “He forced me off again.” Lambiase replied, “It’s not clever, is it? He’s just divebombing. That’s not how you overtake.”
The climax occurred on Lap 64 of 71 as Norris approached Turn 3 on the outside of Verstappen. However, Verstappen abruptly moved to the left, resulting in both drivers suffering punctures. Verstappen then blocked Norris on the way to the pits, leading to Norris’ retirement. The stewards swiftly held Verstappen responsible, imposing a 10-second penalty that had minimal impact on his final position of fifth place.
Was Norris too quick in several of his moves leading up to the incident? Yes, he was, but that doesn’t excuse Verstappen’s actions and his team’s response indicates a lack of growth and maturity.
“The issue is that if you don’t address these things honestly, they will resurface,” a furious McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella told Sky Sports F1. “They have resurfaced today because they were not properly addressed in the past when there were conflicts with Lewis Hamilton that needed to be punished more severely.”
Arguably, this is one of the first races since the 2021 season where Verstappen has gone head-to-head on equal terms, or even against a faster opponent. For those wondering if Verstappen has matured since then, they received their answer on Sunday.
The Dutchman had a 69-point lead over Norris in the Drivers’ standings before the race began, and a cooler head would have recognized that. Instead, Verstappen chose to risk a DNF and reiterated that he doesn’t settle for second place. This ruthlessness is partly what it takes to be an F1 World Champion. Just look at Michael Schumacher’s career. However, when Red Bull’s senior members fail to question whether Verstappen goes too far, he will continue to force his rivals into risky maneuvers. And that is not clean racing.
After being informed of his 10-second penalty after the race, Verstappen called it “ridiculous” and asked, “What did he expect me to do?”
Red Bull boss Christian Horner responded, “Max, you didn’t behave correctly there, so incredibly unlucky.” The situation was clear – Verstappen squeezed Norris towards the edge of the track with no room to spare and made contact. There’s a reason the stewards acted swiftly on the matter and didn’t spend enough time deliberating, as they would in a less straightforward clash.
“I anticipate a tough battle against Max, I know what to expect, I anticipate aggression and pushing the limits and that sort of thing, but all three times he’s done things that can easily cause an incident, and it’s just a bit reckless, it seemed a little desperate on his part, which is unnecessary considering he has plenty of wins, but he’s doing whatever he can to prevent me from overtaking,” said Norris shortly after Sunday’s race.
“I anticipated his aggressive approach, but I was hoping for a hard-fought and respectful battle on the edge of racing. Unfortunately, that’s not what I experienced. There were moments where I felt he crossed the line. These incidents happen, but I’m disappointed that it ruined the race.”
So, what does this mean for the upcoming race at Silverstone? McLaren and Norris were Red Bull’s main competitors in last year’s British Grand Prix, and considering their recent progress, it’s highly likely that they will once again challenge for victory.
If McLaren has a significant advantage in terms of pace, Norris might easily pull away from the rest of the field, just like he did in the closing stages of the Miami Grand Prix when he secured his first win. However, if Red Bull and McLaren are evenly matched, we can expect some intense battles on the track. Verstappen has been given the freedom by his team to win at any cost, so his clash with Norris in Austria certainly won’t be the last.
As for their off-track relationship, only time will tell. Sky Italia asked Norris about this, and he responded by saying, “I don’t know, it will depend on him and how he explains himself. If he insists on being right, then it’s over. But if he admits that he made a foolish move, then I’ll understand.”
When the media questioned Verstappen about the incident, he stated, “I’ll review it, but I think a 10-second penalty is a bit harsh. I didn’t feel like it was an overly aggressive move. It shouldn’t damage our friendship. We’re all racing drivers, and while we don’t want to crash into each other, these things happen when you’re fighting for the lead.”
With two drivers holding different opinions and mounting pressure on the governing body to address front-end clashes with less leniency, all eyes are now on Silverstone.
