The Austrian Grand Prix is known for producing controversial incidents, and similarly, the latest race weekend in Speilberg ended in the most dramatic fashion. After an intense and highly entertaining battle for the race victory, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen crashed into each other only eight laps away from the chequered flag. While Verstappen managed to limp his way home in P5, Norris was forced to retire from the race, subsequently losing another 10 points to the Dutchman in the championship standings.
This provoked an angry reaction from the McLaren driver, who openly demanded an apology from his friend, Verstappen. Furthermore, he also stated that he would lose all his respect for the three-time world champion if he refused to take the blame for the crash at the Austrian GP. Asked whether he is willing to resolve the issue with Verstappen, he replied, “It’s not for me to say, it’s for him to say.
Verstappen 💥 Norris
Incredible scenes at the Red Bull Ring 😵#F1 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/YvD0dg2TUH
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 30, 2024
“I’m trying to drive a good, fair race. It’s just not what I got in return from his side. I feel like what he did was unfair from my side three of the times. No warning was issued. He did it again the final time and ruined both our races, so that’s it. If he says he did nothing wrong, then I’ll lose a lot of respect for that.”
An honest reaction from Norris indeed, but how did Verstappen respond upon hearing what the McLaren driver had to say? Well, the Dutchman admitted that he would have a chat with Norris and would look to clear the air between the two racing buddies.
Max Verstappen responds to Norris’ angry statement
When the entire motorsport community was anticipating an angry exchange of comments between Norris and Verstappen, the latter opted against destroying his relationship with the Briton.
— scuderiafemboy (@archive33mv) June 30, 2024
The interviewer said, “He said to me just now in the pen, that if you apologize he’ll gain back some of the respect he lost for you during the race.” Here’s how the Dutchman responded:
“I need to look back at why, or how we touched. Of course, we’ll talk about it. It’s just unfortunate that it happened.”
Overall, by the looks of it, Norris and Verstappen will have cleared the air between them before the start of this weekend’s British Grand Prix. Now, the big question is, with the next race being Norris’ home race, can the McLaren driver produce a race-winning performance?
Sara Chavan