OfSports Editorial
At the Austrian GP, a new great duel between the two, rivals on the track and friends in the paddock. But on lap 64 a maneuver by Verstappen, later deemed incorrect by the stewards, caused an accident which cut Norris out of the race
It all happened on lap 64 of the Austrian GP, with contact between the Red Bull of Max Verstappen (in my head at that moment) and the McLaren Of Norris (second again behind the Dutchman) which touched each other causing a double puncture. And if Verstappen managed to restart, finishing the race in fifth place, there was nothing the Brit could do, who retired in fury after coming through the pits. The winner was Mercedes Russell before Plates e Sainz.
Verstappen-Norris accident, what happened
The accident occurred while he was coming Norris’ 5-second penalty for track limits ratified (he had gone off the track when attacking Verstappen but claimed that Max had moved, causing him to go off the track). The Briton was looking for the right space to attack his opponent (among other things, a great friend of his in the paddock).
When he finally made it alongside the reigning world champion, the latter changed direction outwards twice, causing contact. A maneuver deemed incorrect, which is why Verstappen was given a 10 second penalty, without this causing him to lose any more positions (he had a 16″ advantage over Hulkenberg) and therefore allowing him to finish 5th.
Norris: «Max was unfair, admit you were stupid»
A tough duel, therefore, between Max Verstappen e Lando Norris, the two fastest drivers at the moment. They are also great friends off the track. However, the British McLaren driver did not spare strong criticism of the world champion: «He ruined my race – his words in the post-race – I did my best, it was not enough to win but it was not my fault. I can’t do anything about it, there are rules that must be applied. I can only move forward and continue to do my job well. What if our friendship relationship will continue to be this way? It depends on what he says. If he says he didn’t do anything wrong, he would lose a lot of my respect. If he admits he was stupid, I will continue to have respect for him, even if it’s hard to accept. I try to always be correct, he wasn’t with me.”
Verstappen: «Norris aggressive, I’m not to blame»
Did Verstappen take the blame? No way: “I don’t think I was aggressive, if anything he was — the Dutchman cut short — I have to look at the images better, but at some point Norris lost control and we ended up touching in a rather awkward way. It all seemed very bizarre to me.” Finally, the criticism of the team: “We made bad decisions, failing the pit stop. We were the ones who allowed our opponents to get close.”
June 30, 2024 (edit June 30, 2024 | 17:45)
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