Max Verstappen was comfortably leading the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, with a third consecutive victory looking inevitable. But a slow second pit stop changed everything.
It ignited a battle with the McLaren of Lando Norris, who had previously been trailing the Red Bull by eight seconds. He was consistently able to put Verstappen under pressure at turn three after making use of DRS.
On lap 59, Norris steamed down the inside of the world champion but struggled to slow his car down. That compromised his exit and allowed Verstappen to regain the lead into turn four.
The Briton repeatedly complained over the team radio about his adversary moving under braking. Meanwhile, Verstappen felt that he was on the end of some reckless ‘divebombs’.
On lap 64, Norris positioned his car on the outside at turn three in the hope of a faster run onto the straight. But Verstappen put the squeeze on him, leading to contact that ruined both of their races.
The Dutchman did at least manage to score points, finishing fifth despite a 10-second penalty. Norris, on the other hand, had to retire.
Martin Brundle condemns Red Bull message to Max Verstappen after Lando Norris crash
Writing in a column for Sky Sports F1 after the race, pundit Martin Brundle criticised Red Bull for what they said to Verstappen over the radio. They told him that Norris ‘didn’t behave correctly’ and that he was ‘desperately unlucky’.
Brundle believes the team’s image will suffer from taking this stance. He also feels the incident was ‘totally unnecessary’ as Norris faced a five-second penalty anyway for multiple track limits violations.
The 65-year-old said on Sunday that he ‘didn’t agree’ with the message. But he’s now offered more insight as to why.
“To hear the Red Bull team on the radio after the race telling him it was all Norris’s fault was a difficult listen, it damages their credibility all round,” he wrote. “It was clear Norris would get a five-second penalty for track limits and the whole thing was totally unnecessary for Red Bull.”
Red Bull will be desperate to keep Verstappen happy amid lingering uncertainty over his future. He’s under contract until 2028, but there are multiple exit clauses in his deal.
There was fresh tension within the camp over the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner were involved in a fresh spat, with the former seen visiting the Mercedes facility in the paddock.
Damon Hill shares verdict on Verstappen and Norris incident
Predictably, the late-race collision has dominated the discourse ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix. It handed victory to Mercedes driver George Russell, who had been a lonely third.
But more than that, it marks the first real test of the friendship between the two drivers. Some would have had serious doubts over whether it would last now that they’re regularly competing for race wins.
Red Bull executive director Helmut Marko says Norris was a ‘little more’ to blame than Verstappen. However, Damon Hill contends that it’s ‘pretty clear’ the 61-time race-winner was at fault.
Heading into the Austrian GP, Verstappen and Norris had occupied the top two steps of the podium at five of the last six races. This feels like a moment that will shape their developing rivalry.
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