Lando Norris Ready to Bury the Hatchet With Max Verstappen With Heartfelt Apology

Lando Norris was visibly furious after the incident in Austria with Max Verstappen. The collision between the two on lap 64 cost Norris his chance to become a two-time Grand Prix winner. As a result, he blamed Verstappen and expressed his frustration in post-race interviews. However, a few days later, the British driver has calmed down and is ready to make amends.

Norris now realizes that he probably spoke too much during his post-race interview. At the McLaren factory, he explained that his adrenaline was still high after the race.

“Definitely my adrenaline side probably got a little the better of me in a few of the comments. I don’t think everything I said was probably as correct as what it should be,” Norris admitted according to a recent post on Formula 1’s official subreddit.

Norris is now ready to have a conversation with Max Verstappen. He revealed that they have already texted each other and plan on having a more extensive chat soon.

“We’ve texted… we’re going to have a chat, of course, because I think it’s the correct thing to do. But apart from that, what we talk about and how things go is between us,” Norris added.

The McLaren driver believes that it would be foolish to ruin their friendship over this crash. Despite the heated moment, he respects Verstappen and values their friendship.

“Like we’ve said many times, because of the respect we still have. I’m not going to let something like that suddenly blow up everything,” Norris explained despite having hinted earlier that he needs Verstappen to apologize to him.

Christian Horner confirms things have calmed down between Norris and Verstappen

Initially, Norris felt that Verstappen should take ownership of the crash. In his post-race interview, Norris mentioned that if Verstappen did not admit to his wrongdoing, then the Briton would lose respect for him.

But Verstappen did not take the blame, as he believes drivers should be able to race hard for a win. Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, backed Verstappen during the race and in his comments afterward.

However, while speaking to Sky Sports F1 ahead of the British GP this weekend, Horner confirmed that Norris and Verstappen had already spoken and things seemed to have calmed down between them, especially from the Dutchman’s side. “I understand they’ve spoken already, I don’t think there is any issue,” said Horner.

And Norris’s latest comments suggest that he has calmed down as well. With 13 races still to go in the season, fans can expect plenty more of what was witnessed in Austria, which makes the 2024 season even more exciting.