The 2024 Austrian GP has split the grid into two factions. There are ones who believe it was hard but fair racing. Then there are ones who Max Verstappen was at fault in his battle with Lando Norris. Unsurprisingly, the former McLaren mechanic and pit crew member Marc Priestley believes the Red Bull man is to be blamed. In fact, the ex-McLaren man has highlighted two occasions where he believes the Dutchman was outright at fault and one which is contentious.
The reigning champion is being blamed for moving under braking during the lap 64 collision with Norris which ended the Brit’s race. He is accused of this illegal move not once but multiple times during the on-track battle.
In his latest YouTube video, Priestley gave the three-time champion the benefit of the doubt regarding the time he left the track to maintain his lead. However, he absolutely blasted him for moving under braking.
The 47-year-old highlighted how the drivers are on the absolute edge every time they are braking in a race. They try to do it at the last possible instance to maximize their lap time. Braking from such high speeds takes a lot of effort and toll on bodies and the cars. So, when a driver moves during braking, there is little to no room for maneuvering for the ones behind them. In most instances, it results in a collision which is exactly what happened.
Verstappen Norris
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Priestley believes Verstappen made these moves twice. The first time he got away with it and the second time the tussling duo collided causing the major incident, which completely altered the race’s outcome. However, if the racing was kept clean and fair, only Verstappen and Norris’ race results would’ve been affected.
Max Verstappen’s aggressiveness ruined his race in Austria
In an alternate universe where Verstappen lets Norris by without the late maneuvers, he would’ve still won. The Dutchman would’ve lost the lead after the McLaren man would’ve surely overtaken him.
However, there was a scenario where the 26-year-old would’ve won despite crossing the finish line in second. Moreover, even with a P2, the championship leader would’ve benefitted more than the current result.
During his battle, when Norris went completely off-track, he exceeded the track limits for the fourth time which earned him a five-second penalty. In a scenario where the #4 driver overtakes Verstappen, the Dutchman could’ve still stayed within five seconds to secure the win. Alternatively, even with a P2, he would’ve collected 18 points which would be eight more than his current haul of 10 points.
However, 10 points compared to Norris DNF is still a win for the Dutchman thinking purely about the championship standings. With the P5 result, he just missed out on adding another podium to his record. Verstappen has still come out as the winner in this battle.
