Verstappen has no reason to apologise for ‘pathetic’ F1 incident in Austria – Motorsport Week

McLaren’s Lando Norris has taken a step back from his initial outburst of anger following his collision with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix, saying he believes the Dutchman “does not need to apologise”.

After Norris and Verstappen fought hard for the lead in the Red Bull Ring GP last weekend for several laps, a collision occurred on lap 64 on the approach to Turn 3.

Verstappen received a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision, but still finished fifth, while Norris had to settle for retirement.

In the heat of the post-race battle, Norris claimed his off-track friendship with Verstappen would be damaged if the Red Bull driver did not apologise for his role in the incident. However, the McLaren star calmed down after arriving at Silverstone.

“Honestly, I don’t think he had to apologize,” Norris told the media, including Motorsport Week on Thursday.

“Some of the things I said in the mailbox after the race were more because I was frustrated at the time.

“A lot of adrenaline and emotions, and I probably said a few things I didn’t necessarily believe, especially later in the week. It was tough.”

“It was a pretty pathetic incident that ended both races for us.

“It was no blow, no obvious contact. It was probably one of the smallest contacts you can have, but with pretty bad consequences for both of us, especially for me.

“I don’t expect an apology from him, I don’t think he should apologise.

“I thought it was, overall, a good race.

“Perhaps very close to the edge at times, but as I said, we’ve talked about it, we’ve talked about it, and we’re both excited to be racing again.”

Norris announced that he and Verstappen spoke on Monday and Wednesday after the Austrian Formula 1 GP to clarify the situation and that everything would continue as normal between them from now on.

The first outcry after the incident was that the drivers would have to change their approach to racing against Verstappen compared to their other competitors.

However, after careful consideration, Norris said he “enjoyed” the battle with Verstappen at the Red Bull Ring.

“It’s clear how he drives,” Norris said.

“It’s hard, it’s pushing the limits. And yes, I think it’s what we love, it’s what I love.”

“I really enjoyed the whole fight with him. Of course it was a shame that it ended like that.”

This weekend’s Formula 1 British Grand Prix sets the stage for another duel between Norris and Verstappen and the McLaren driver predicted there will be tough competition at Silverstone.

“We were very close in the last few races, but Mercedes was getting closer and closer,” said Norris.

“Looking back at last weekend, Mercedes was extremely fast, if not one of the fastest cars in the race.

“So they’ve probably made a few steps forward since they were there. We’re in a good position, but so is Red Bull. So yeah, we expect a close fight between a lot of us.”