Max Verstappen and Lando Norris clashed during their battle for the lead, resulting in George Russell winning the Austrian Grand Prix.
Mercedes hasn't triumphed since the 2022 campaign. Verstappen persisted and finished sixth after switching to soft tires, but Norris was forced to abandon the vehicle due to excessive damage. With twenty or so circuits remaining, the Red Bull driver had been driving very lazily until what appeared to be the last pit stops; nevertheless, a long pit stop (just over six seconds) endangered the lead.
Verstappen was being pursued by Norris, and the two continued to argue.
Norris was given a five-second time penalty at one point for going beyond the track boundaries; the last infraction occurred when he attempted to grab the lead but ran off the course. Verstappen's collision-causing offense resulted in a 10-second penalty.
Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri complete the podium.
"Boomshakalaka! Russell screams out over the radio, "Yabadabadoo." "Well done. Well done; we had to pick up the bits.
It was inevitable that something like this would happen, as Sainz put it in the cooling room.
Although the race was altered by an incident on Lap 64, the conflict had already begun to simmer for some time. Even though Verstappen won most of the races in 2023, Norris has emerged as his main rival this year and has been gradually reducing the gap in recent races. Though Verstappen still prevailed despite Norris' late surge, the McLaren driver offered Formula One a taste of a fight that was developing at Imola last month when he won his maiden race in Miami. Verstappen won in Canada and Spain, while Norris finished in P2.
They fought it out for the lead once more on Sunday in Austria. Norris and Verstappen stopped on the same lap, but Red Bull's stop was almost four seconds later than McLaren's, which left Norris right behind Verstappen. As the race progressed, both drivers voiced their grievances to one another over the radio. For example, Norris said that Verstappen had braked illegally with roughly 15 laps remaining.
A few circuits later, Norris eventually overtook Verstappen, but he went off the course. For exceeding the track limit, he had already been shown a black-and-white flag and was given a five-second penalty. However, they continued to be around one another.
When the two cars got close to Turn 3, many laps later, Norris moved to Verstappen's left. The Dutchman veered to the left before making a bend, causing a collision that punctured Verstappen and Norris. In contrast to the McLaren tire, the Red Bull tire remained undamaged. Verstappen received a 10-second penalty for the collision, for which Norris had to withdraw the vehicle. Verstappen later commented, "I'll look back at it but 10 seconds seems a bit severe for me." The motion that was made didn't seem very aggressive to me.
Norris was forthright in his discussion of the battle.
"I am aware that I will be up against a formidable opponent in Max. I anticipate aggression, pushing the envelope, and that kind of thing, but on all three occasions, he's acting in a way that might easily spark an altercation and in a way that seems a little bit dangerous and desperate on his part, Norris said. Is not required to be. Despite his many victories, he seemed a little desperate to stop me from moving further. I'm not surprised by his hostile behavior, since I anticipate it. I simply wanted a competitive, fair, and courteous edge-of-your-seat experience, and I don't think I got that."
We are heading to Silverstone next week. Will Ferrari bounce back after unpleasant recent performances? And could we see another team on the top step?
Comments