Lando Norris will “lose a lot of respect” if Max Verstappen does not apologise for the controversial incident at the Austrian Grand Prix

CNN
—

Lando Norris said he would lose respect for his friend Max Verstappen if the Red Bull driver did not apologise for a collision between the two during Sunday’s controversial Austrian Grand Prix.

McLaren’s Norris and Verstappen fought for the lead in a thrilling battle at the front of the race before an incident occurred on lap 64.

Race control later imposed a 10-second penalty on Verstappen for causing the collision, which resulted in Norris having to retire from the race with a punctured tire and a damaged car.

“It depends on what he says. If he says he did nothing wrong, I lose a lot of respect for that,” a “disappointed” Norris told Sky Sports in his post-race interview.

“If he admits that he was a little stupid, that he drove into me and that he was just a little reckless in some ways, then I’ll have a little bit of respect for that.”

Off the track, Norris and Verstappen are close friends, but their relationship has been put to the test this year as both fight for the drivers’ championship.

On Sunday, tensions seemed to be building and Norris felt he was being denied a potentially decisive victory in the fight for his first world title.

Despite a time penalty and a pit stop to repair some damage, Verstappen still finished fifth, extending his lead over Norris in the championship standings to 81 points.

“It’s still hard to take when we’re fighting for the win and I’m trying to be fair, but it just wasn’t him. I don’t think about that. I don’t care now. I’m just devastated for the team,” Norris added.

“I just tried to ride my race. He was clearly much slower at the end. He ruined his own race as much as he ruined mine. There’s nothing more I can do. I did my best and it was good enough, but I was ruined through no fault of my own.”

When Verstappen was asked about Norris’ comments, the 26-year-old said he would have to watch the race again.

“Everyone can have their own opinion. From the outside it is easy to judge and make comments,” he told Sky Sports.

“I have to look back and think about why or how we touched. Of course we’ll talk about it. It’s just unfortunate that it happened.”

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner backed his driver, telling Sky Sports it was just “one of those things,” while McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said “the entire world population knows who is responsible.”

The two drivers will renew their rivalry at the British Grand Prix on July 7, where Verstappen will attempt to win his fourth world title.