Verstappen and Norris suffered tire damage as a result of their collision at the end of the race.
Red Bull advisor, Helmut Marko, believes that both Max Verstappen and Lando Norris should take responsibility for their controversial crash at the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen and Norris were fighting for the lead in the final stages in Spielberg when they collided at Turn 3, resulting in punctures for both drivers.
Norris, who had complained about Verstappen’s move during braking prior to the incident, ended up behind Verstappen due to a slow pit stop by the Red Bull team.
However, while Marko acknowledged the impact of the pit stop, he argues that the collision could have been avoided if Verstappen had been informed about Norris’ track limit violations.
The British driver had already received a warning for three infringements and was under investigation again for a failed overtaking attempt on Verstappen at Turn 3.
Later in the race, Norris received a five-second penalty, but this had no effect as he retired from the collision with the Dutch driver.
Speaking to Servus TV after the dust settled on the events that handed victory to Mercedes, Marko explained, “The victory was lost due to various factors.
“The fact that the pit stop [of Verstappen] went wrong allowed Lando to get within the DRS zone.
“And also our assumption that the hard tires would be a better choice in the hot weather, which proved to be incorrect.
“The temperatures were lower, so Lando had fresh tires in the final stint, while we had used ones, which was also a factor.
“But I would say that both drivers were unnecessarily aggressive. Maybe we can be blamed for that: we knew there was an investigation into track limit violations by Lando.”
“But we didn’t know if and how he would be penalized. So, in retrospect, we could have said: ‘Okay, let him pass.’
“But let’s focus on the positive aspects, we have extended our lead in both the Constructors’ Championship and the Drivers’ Championship.”
Marko expressed his pleasure in the duel between the two drivers until it turned into a battle where both resorted to unsporting tactics.
“It was a great battle until it somehow turned ugly,” he added. “Who brakes where, who exceeds track limits, instead of focusing on a fair ending.”
