The rivalry between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen seems to be at a tipping point now after the duo collided for the first time in Austria last weekend. Following their collision, 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill has accussed both drivers of “robbing” viewers in Austria of a fantastic finish to the race. In the latest episode of the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Hill said,
“You could actually tell when they’re on the limit because you saw loads of gravel flying everywhere. It was building up, the tension built up beautifully, and I think we were a little bit robbed of a fantastic climax to the race. We’ll never know what the outcome would have been. I mean, it looked to me like Lando had the pace, and that’s why Max had to do his…well, I’m going to call it fiendish defending”.
Verstappen Norris
Incredible scenes at the Red Bull Ring #F1 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/YvD0dg2TUH
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 30, 2024
Hill believes that Verstappen’s defense was questionable as the Dutchman was very aggressive. Moreover, it is pertinent to note that the crash between the two drivers resulted in the end of Norris’ race and not Verstappen’s. The Dutchman managed to carry on and scored 10 points thanks to his P5 finish.
Since it was Verstappen who scored points and not Norris, the Briton was extremely upset with his good friend. After the conclusion of the race, he slammed Verstappen in his post-race interview and claimed that he wanted the Red Bull driver to take complete responsibility for the collision.
Norris expressed his frustrations with Verstappen
In his post-race interview, Norris stated that if Verstappen claimed he had done nothing wrong, then the Briton may have to reconsider the level of respect he has for the Dutch driver. And it was not just Norris who was furious.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella gave a hyperbolic expression to explain why he believes Verstappen was clearly responsible for the collision. Stella said, “The entire population in the world [knows] who is responsible – except for a group of people”.
As a result of Stella’s scathing criticism, Christian Horner came to Verstappen’s defense. Horner claimed that both drivers had a role to play in the collision as Norris threw a few divebombs as well.
As a result of the two drivers’ inevitable collision, fans missed the prospect of witnessing an epic battle, as Hill suggested in his most recent interview. However, the way Norris and Verstappen have been battling so far, it may not be long before fans get to see the two battle each other for the win. Their rivalry could renew as early as this week in Silverstone.
