Verstappen-Norris: it’s war!
The two drivers enjoyed a magnificent duel on the Spielberg circuit, which unfortunately ended badly for both of them. However, their battle didn't just take place on the track, but also in the pits.
This was the image of the Grand Prix. On the 64th lap, the top two drivers collided and punctured at the same time. So, the two drivers had to return to the pit stop: one to change tires, the other to retire due to a heavily damaged car.
The famous incident between Verstappen and Norris towards the end of the race was not the first incident to regret during the Grand Prix between the two drivers. In fact, on the 23rd lap, they decide to pit at the same time. The Dutchman, who had more than a five-second lead, gets back on track just in front of the British driver’s McLaren in an authoritative manner, forcing Norris to lock his wheels just before changing his tires.
This did not require a penalty, as explained by the FIA: « Car 1 was released from its pit stop when Car 4 was approaching. It is possible that Car 1 may have obstructed Car 4 in its approach to the pit stop. However, Article 34.14 a) specifies that a car is considered to have been released in an unsafe manner if it could endanger pit lane personnel or another driver. This was not the case, so no further action is necessary ». As there were no injuries, the FIA decided not to penalize the Dutch driver.
For the British driver, his perspective is completely different: “He came at me,” he lamented on the radio just after this incident that could have ended badly for both drivers. Norris, like his team, regrets the aggressiveness of the Dutch driver and the sanctions that are not always applied according to this behavior.
They returned today because they were not treated correctly in the past, during some fights with Lewis that should have been punished more severely, analyzes the McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, who believes that these incidents are due to a lack of reactivity from the former FIA instances, which, in his opinion, gave Verstappen too much freedom.
This is a strong message that is being sent to the current rival, Red Bull, highlighting the tensions between the two teams for the past few weeks now, due to their fierce competition for victories, especially through Norris and Verstappen.
Even though he was not penalized, Max Verstappen decided at the time of their respective 2nd pit stops to let Norris pass before rejoining the track, in order to avoid a second investigation that could have resulted in a penalty this time.
With these incidents, has this Grand Prix not marked a turning point in the season and the beginning of a strong and exciting rivalry? A good omen before Silverstone?
