The crash between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen at the Austrian GP grabbed all the headlines, with the McLaren driver even admitting that his friendship with the latter was in jeopardy. However, just hours before the race, Norris explained why he respects the Dutchman so much.
On the F1: Beyond the Grid podcast, Norris said, “It is harder at the top. It is harder to stay there at least. That is why I have respect for Max as for the time he is there, he rarely ever makes mistakes. Rarely messes up or does something silly in qualifying or the race.”
Verstappen in the race later on, made an aggressive defensive move to prevent Norris’ charge, which seemingly changed his opinion. The Briton went as far as suggesting that he would lose respect for Verstappen if he didn’t admit to his mistake.
What do you think about the Verstappen vs Norris crash?
1. Racing incident with unlucky contact
2. Verstappen not leaving enough space / crashing into Lando. #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/BBGZYM0laY— Maxx | F1newsletter.com (@F1_Newsletter) June 30, 2024
Norris only recently started competing at the front regularly. He won a race earlier this season in Miami, but since then, has given up opportunities to repeat the feat due to his or McLaren’s errors. This is what makes him appreciate the work Verstappen and Red Bull do to stay at the top.
However, with him competing for wins now, tensions are bound to be high. Verstappen isn’t a driver who will let his opponents win easily, and Norris will have to do what the Red Bull driver has been doing for years. His willingness to do whatever it takes to win is what Norris respects, and also what led to the McLaren star crashing out in Austria.
From Verstappen’s point of view, he was disappointed but labeled the incident as ‘unfortunate’. However, he wasn’t as unhappy as Norris because he managed to extend his lead in the Championship standings by 11 points.
Christian Horner warns Norris that Verstappen “will not change”
Verstappen, when asked about the incident in Austria, suggested that he needed to review the footage to make any comments. However, Red Bull boss Christian Horner feels that Verstappen won’t change his style of driving no matter what happens. What Norris has to do, per Horner, is learn to deal with it.
“Certainly, from Max’s side, he’s not going to change. There’s an element, I think, of Lando learning how to race Max and they’re discovering that. Inevitably, there is going to be more close racing between the two of them as the cars look so close over the forthcoming races”, said Horner according to Sky Sports.
When racing hard, the one with the stronger mentality comes out on top more often than not. Verstappen’s aggression doesn’t just bring the rage on track but also gives the Dutchman his Champion mentality.
