McLaren driver Lando Norris and Red Bull Racing champion Max Verstappen are the focus of the Formula 1 world right now.
Victory at the Austrian Grand Prix should have gone to one of these two drivers as they were a long way clear of the rest of the field.
However, contact on the outside of turn three in the closing stages of the race ended both of their chances as they picked up punctures and had to crawl back to the pit lane.
Max Verstappen returned to the race – with a ten-second penalty – and still managed to secure 5 while Lando Norris was forced to retire for the first time this season.
Given McLaren and Red Bull have the quickest cars on the grid this season, it’s a surprise that this was the first time that they’ve made contact.
However, they’ve already had several brilliant battles, including off the line at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Norris was a guest on the Beyond The Grid Podcast and spoke to journalist Tom Clarkson about the run down to turn one.
It was George Russell who took the lead around the outside of the opening chicane, but not before Norris had pushed Verstappen right to the edge of the track.
Norris has now shared what the triple world champion said to him after the race about the incident, although it gave no indication of what was to come at the Red Bull Ring.
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What Max Verstappen said to Lando Norris about Spanish Grand Prix star
Talking about the start of the race in Barcelona, Norris said: “I’m fighting everyone harder and in a better way I think.
“I’ll still do what I need to do and be forceful when I need to be and I might have pushed him [Max Verstappen] on the grass a little bit.
“It’s not easy to judge and I didn’t want to put him on the grass, I wanted to squeeze him and make him feel uncomfortable, you’ve always got to try and do that.
“He said he would have done exactly the same to me, so it’ll come around and it’ll go around, but I’m ready to fight and give my best and put it on the line when I need to because that’s the level we’re at now.”
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Lando Norris might be Max Verstappen’s next Formula 1 rival
For the first few races of the season, McLaren were behind Ferrari in the pecking order and Red Bull looked set to dominate Formula 1 unopposed once again.
However, McLaren started to close the gap at the Chinese Grand Prix with Norris securing his second podium of the season before he finally ended his long wait for an F1 victory in Miami.
Verstappen was happy for his rival that day but it sparked the beginning of Norris’s charge to try and end the Dutchman’s domination of the sport.
He came within seconds of catching Verstappen at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and was runner-up to the triple-world champion in Canada and Spain.
It’s no surprise that Verstappen would have used similar tactics to Norris had he been starting on pole in Spain.
The British driver has been told by Eddie Jordan what he needs to learn if he’s going to battle with Verstappen for the rest of the season.
The Driver’s Championship is likely out of the question for Norris this year, but he needs to start preparing now for a potential title charge in 2025.
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