Lando Norris says he’ll “lose plenty of respect” for Max Verstappen if his championship rival would not settle for accountability for inflicting a collision between them as they battled for the lead of the Austrian Grand Prix.
McLaren’s Norris was trying to cross Pink Bull’s Verstappen with eight laps to go when the pair made contact at Flip 3, with the stewards later giving the Dutchman a 10-second penalty for inflicting the collision.
Each vehicles sustained injury, with Verstappen pitting earlier than ending fifth, whereas the extra extreme hurt carried out to the McLaren compelled Norris to retire from the race, as Mercedes’ George Russell claimed an unlikely victory.
The top consequence finally aided Verstappen’s quest for a fourth successive drivers’ title, with the ten factors he scored extending his lead over second-placed Norris to 81.
“I am upset, nothing greater than that, actually,” Norris advised Sky Sports activities F1. “It was a great race. I appeared ahead to most likely I would say only a honest battle, a powerful honest battle. However I would not say that is what it was ultimately.
“Robust one to take. It was a mistake-free race from my facet, and I really feel like I did a great job however I received taken out of the race, so nothing greater than that.”
Requested whether or not the incident would impression his sturdy friendship with Verstappen, Norris added: “I do not know. It relies upon what he says. If he says he did nothing incorrect, then I am going to lose plenty of respect for that.
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McLaren’s Lando Norris and Pink Bull’s Max Verstappen engaged in an exhilarating battle for the race lead earlier than the pair crashed into each other, as George Russell ended up capitalising to win the Austrian Grand Prix
“If he admits to being a bit silly and working into me and simply being a bit reckless in a method, then I am going to have a small quantity of respect for it.
“However it’s nonetheless a troublesome one to take once we’re preventing for the win and I am attempting to be honest from my facet and he simply wasn’t. That is not what I am serious about. I do not care about that now. I am simply gutted for the workforce.”
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