Norris could lose “a lot of respect” for Verstappen after Austrian GP

Lando Norris has said he will lose “a lot of respect” for Max Verstappen after their clash in the closing stages of the Austrian GP.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, on the grid Photo Credit: McLaren

Verstappen was dominating the race before he began to complain that his tyres were going off at the end of his second stint.

Red Bull then had a 6.5 seconds pit stop. This allowed Norris to close and, once within DRS, attack the reigning champion.

Twice on the run up to turn three, Verstappen moved under braking. This lead to complaints over the radio from the McLaren driver.

Norris also tried a dive bomb up the inside. The Dutchman being forced to run wide and retaining the position.

The pair then collided on lap 66 leading to them both getting a puncture. Norris retired but Verstappen came home fifth and set the fastest lap, despite receiving a 10s penalty.

The Brit was disappointed after the race and admitted that if Verstappen doesn’t accept a level of fault for the incident, he will lose “a lot of respect.”

“If he said he did nothing wrong, I will lose a lot of respect,” Norris told Sky Sports after the race.

“If he admits to being a bit stupid and running into me and being a bit reckless in a way. I’ll have a small about of respect for it, but it’s a tough one to take.

“We were both fighting for the win, and I was trying to be fair from my side. He just wasn’t. That’s all I’m thinking about. Other than that, I don’t care. I’m just gutted for the team.”

“The entire population of the world would know who is responsible”

There hasn’t been any indication that Verstappen will take a portion of blame for the incident. He called the 10s penalty he received “ridiculous” over the team radio on the cool down lap.

McLaren’s Andrea Stella said that the “entire population of the world would know who is responsible” and said that a Verstappen Red Bull “doesn’t need to do this.”

With neither team taking responsibility, it’s expected the comments will roll on as the sport heads to Silverstone next weekend.

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