Max Verstappen denies he was “aggressive” in direction of Lando Norris of their 2024 Method 1 Austrian Grand Prix crash and that he was shifting underneath braking all through their battle.
The pair collided as the ultimate laps of the primary occasion on the Crimson Bull Ring kicked off, with Verstappen penalised for shifting throughout on Norris’s exterior line assault on the observe’s tight, sharply-uphill Flip 3 right-hander.
Verstappen was given a 10-second penalty because the stewards discovered him to be predominantly responsible for the collision, which opened the door for George Russell to win as each drivers incurred punctures, dropping Verstappen off the rostrum and Norris into retirement.
When requested concerning the contact by reporters after the race, Verstappen mentioned he “went again at it” and feels “10 seconds appeared a bit extreme for me at that time”.
He added: “As a result of I did not really feel prefer it was tremendous – like something form of aggressive – occurring in that motion.”
Of the 2 earlier moments the place Norris after which Verstappen went off the observe because the McLaren attacked at Flip 3’s inside, which the former felt featured the latter moving under braking and against F1’s racing rules, Verstappen mentioned: “For me, it was not shifting underneath braking.
“As a result of each time that I moved, I used to be not braking already. After all from the surface it at all times appears to be like like that, however I feel I do know pretty nicely what to do in these form of eventualities.
Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing
Photograph by: Mark Sutton
“Additionally just a few of these are actually late dive bombs [from Norris], so it’s kind of of simply sending it up the within and simply hope that the opposite man steers out of it.
“It is not at all times the way you race, however I feel it is simply the nook right here that lends to that as nicely.
“I have been within the different place as nicely the place you go for it, and it is simply the form of the nook.
“I feel the transfer that we obtained collectively was one thing that I did not anticipate.
“I noticed him coming in fact, so I defended somewhat bit the within. After which underneath braking we touched with the rear tyres and we each get a puncture from it, which in fact is one thing you do not need to occur.”
In additional questioning on the penalty being utilized to his case, Verstappen once more highlighted his rival’s attacking actions.
“That is what I meant with the dive bombing,” he mentioned.
“It is simply standing it up late and simply hoping that the opposite man steers out of it and also you make the nook, which wasn’t the case.
“After all, you’ll be able to say shifting on the braking for me, which wasn’t the case as a result of I did not brake once I moved.
Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, battle for the lead
Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“But it surely’s additionally a bit like simply sending it up the within from far, which in fact appears to be like good.
“I prefer it as nicely, however generally it really works out, generally it does not.
“And I feel at this time that did not work out. However then in fact, like I mentioned earlier than, with the contact that we now have, it is tremendous unlucky.”
Verstappen and Norris famously take to each other, with a lot focus now being on their relationship progresses following their first on-track conflict.
“We’ll discuss it, however not now,” Verstappen mentioned of this. “It is not the proper time. However you already know, we’re racing drivers.
“Lando and I, we now have somewhat age hole [Norris is 24 and Verstappen 26] – that is why we by no means actually raced in opposition to one another in decrease classes in comparison with another drivers right here.
“However yeah, we’ll transfer on from right here then.”
Extra reporting by Filip Cleeren