During the Austrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris crossed paths, which had disastrous results.
Lando Norris has acknowledged that if Max Verstappen doesn’t accept responsibility and extend an apology for his part in their lap 64 collision during the Austrian Grand Prix, he would ‘lose respect’ for him.
The Austrian Grand Prix saw intense racing between the two championship contenders as Verstappen entered the final stint of the race just two seconds ahead of the McLaren driver due to a subpar Red Bull pit stop.
On lap 64, following two unsuccessful attempts to pass, Norris launched himself outside his competitor at Turn Three; however, Verstappen shifted while braking, resulting in contact between the two.
The collision caused punctures for both drivers, but Norris was more severely damaged. Despite a 10-second time penalty, Verstappen managed to finish in P5, while he had to retire the vehicle due to a total delamination of his right rear tire.
Regarding the future of his friendship with Verstappen, Norris remarked to Sky Sports F1: “It depends on what he says.” I will stop respecting him if he claims he done nothing wrong.
“If he admits to being a bit stupid and running into me and being a bit reckless in a way, then I’ll lose a small amount of respect for him, but it’s still a tough one to take when you’re fighting for the win.
I’m attempting to be impartial, but he wasn’t. That’s all I can think of, I don’t know. I’m just gutted for the squad, but I don’t care right now.”
Verstappen refuted moving when braking on his part. Of course, it’s difficult to notice when I brake from the outside. I am aware that this used to be a bit of a complaint.
“At this point, I always rotate my wheel before braking, and then you brake in a straight line. Declaring on the outside that I’m moving under the braking is always simple. However, I believe the man in the automobile is the most experienced.”
