The rivalry between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen continues to stir up the world of Formula 1. Their face-off during the Austrian Grand Prix is the talk of the town. Experts weigh in on the collision in the sixty-fourth lap, which left the British driver with too much damage to finish the race. What went wrong on the Red Bull Ring?
Former Formula 1 driver and FIA steward Alex Wurz, of course, has a perspective on the incident in Spielberg. The Austrian veteran explained to the German Motorsport Magazin why there should not have been any penalties. “Those so-called dive bombs from Norris are not prohibited,” says Wurz. “It’s certainly spectacular and very brave, but you have to consider the consequences.”
Two-time Le Mans Winner Questions Incident Penalty
The two-time Le Mans winner questions whether it was right to penalize the incident. “Personally, I like hard racing, I always lean towards the statement ‘let them race’,” he explained. “That’s why I saw the clash between Norris and Verstappen as a classic racing incident. Both drivers penalized themselves. Lando could have avoided a collision, but it was actually unnecessary and overheated from both. In my opinion, no penalty was needed.”
‘Know What You’re Getting Into’
Former team boss Eddie Jordan also enjoyed the battle between Verstappen and Norris. His verdict is clear, the Brit made a mistake on the Red Bull Ring. “Know what you’re getting into when you step into the ring with Verstappen,” said the 76-year-old Irishman in the Formula For Success podcast. “You won’t get away with it if you just try something left and right. The final incident could have been so easily avoided.”
According to Jordan, it is always the race leader who decides. “In the end, it works just like on the public road, Verstappen was leading, so he had priority,” he explained. “The first driver has qualified or raced to the top. It’s up to the rest to overtake him in a safe way.”
