After the collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the Austrian Grand Prix, the question arises as to why and who is to blame. The parties disagree.
The reactions couldn’t have been more different: Max Verstappen stomped through the Red Bull motorhome in his driver’s compartment like an angry warrior after a collision with Lando Norris at the Austrian GP, while the retired McLaren driver was still waiting. Media pen for his television interviews.
Almost in disbelief, the young Brit hung his head and nervously wiped his face with his hand. Not only did his final attack on the leading Verstappen fail; Instead of seven points (the difference from first to second place), he has lost a further ten points to world championship leader Verstappen after his defeat and is now 81 points behind in second place.
But worse than lost points is moral failure. Norris felt he was being treated unfairly. From his supposed friend Max Verstappen, of all people. That’s why he was “disappointed,” the Englishman complained. “He destroyed my race, destroyed my car. These are the best car parts – for the junkyard.”
Verstappen did not play along
A failed attack on lap 64 of the Austrian GP is eating away at the McLaren star. With a blistering pace, Norris established himself on the outside next to Verstappen, who had previously led, after various lost duels before the Red Bull Ring twice and even a 5-second penalty for exceeding track limits. But the defending champion did not play along.
It was also easy to carry outside and simply closed the door. It is clear what the message was to Norris at the time: ‘Not with me, my friend! If anyone can stop a collision here, it’s you!’
Whether Norris is mad at himself or Verstappen remains his secret. In the end, he chose the role of victim in the public eye.
Norris in the victim role
“I have a lot of respect for Max and what he can do and what he does every time he steps on the track. But I think he may have gone a little too far at times.
This is how Norris asks all the post-race questions at Spielberg: Will Verstappen push the limit in a close battle? Can the three-time world champion and arguably the best driver of his generation remain undefeated? At least that’s what Norris’ team boss Andrea Stella thinks of him.
Having once worked closely with Verstappen’s spiritual brother Michael Schumacher as a data engineer at Ferrari, the Italian must really know the psyche of various drivers and is happy to take on the role of victim. Thanks to his past experiences, he has a keen interest in how to operate the media keyboard to get the Formula 1 fan base on his side.
Verstappen’s comparison with 2021
He joins appropriately miserably Sky UK From: “The whole world knows who caused the accident,” says Stella, who is calm for an Italian and points to Verstappen’s tough driving style in the 2021 world championship battle against Lewis Hamilton.
“The problem is, if you don’t address them honestly, these things will come back. They came back today because they were not properly addressed in the past. But we don’t want to experience a second 2021.” Like her driver, Stella also raises a moral finger. “We all have a lot of respect for Max. , he didn’t have to do that. This will tarnish his reputation,” he said.
British anti-Verstappen report finds fertile ground in media “Some people will never understand it,” said Hill, Schumacher’s former adversary, not entirely coincidentally. Hill, the Norris of the ’90s, knows all too well how great the pressure is to survive against great opposition.
Glock explains the problem
Past animosities aside; And this is a fact: the stewards gave Verstappen a ten-second penalty for the manoeuvre. That’s because he’s said to be “mainly” responsible for the two-car crash in the fight for the top spot. Accordingly, when the Dutchman moved further to the left, Norris was already next to Verstappen.
at the sky Former Formula 1 driver Timo Klok explained the incident as objectively as possible: “The problem arises because Norris’s DRS was too high at 24 km/h. With this he likes to stabilize himself and break after some time. Driving in front of the oncoming person will cause an accident. That is why it is not allowed to move the car using the brake. Max Verstappen took it to the limit, to the gray area.
The three-time champion naturally saw it differently: “They were ‘dive bombs’ from behind, hard to defend. But I always braked after my move. So it wasn’t ‘moving under braking’.”
Wolff defends Verstappen
Former Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost made a similar analysis: “The two are not giving each other any space,” said the Austrian. Game 1. “Besides that, overtaking Max Verstappen is not that easy. Opponents should take this into account in their maneuvers,” he said.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, with Lewis Hamilton one of the victims of Verstappen’s defensive compulsion in 2021, defended the Red Bull star with the words: “It takes two to dance the tango”.
A Mercedes boss who signs Verstappen today for 2025 may no more objectively assess his defensive behavior on the racetrack than he would tomorrow. But with his statement he makes it clear: this aggressiveness in a fight should be the point of view of one of the most successful team bosses in Formula 1 history.
Or to become world champion for the fourth time soon. And as a reminder: Apology is not on Michael Schumacher’s to-do list.
