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Norris speaks out after reviewing the collision with Verstappen and states he ‘wouldn’t change’ what he did.
A battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris for the lead of the Austrian Grand Prix was brewing up and hit a boiling point during the final stint of the race.
When Verstappen headed into the pits for the final time on Lap 52, the Red Bull driver experienced a rare slow stop, which worked in Norris’ favour, slicing the gap between himself and the Dutchman down by just under two seconds.
Verstappen was seemingly struggling with his Red Bull making the No.4 McLaren’s job much easier. Norris attempted several manoeuvres before Lap 64 when the pair came together and collided.
It's a 10 SECOND PENALTY for Max Verstappen for causing a collision with Lando Norris! ⏱⚠ pic.twitter.com/zf0eHYl5mY
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 30, 2024
Both drivers suffered from a puncture, despite this, Verstappen was able to continue and finish the race in fifth, even after being handed a 10-second penalty for the incident.
Norris, however, had to retire, costing both himself and his team crucial points in the standings.
After the race, the pair exchanged their thoughts on the incident, with Norris expressing his disappointment, stating to Sky F1: “I did nothing wrong – he was the one in the wrong, so he’s the one that should say something, not me.”
Norris reviews the situation again
In the build-up to the Briton’s home race in Silverstone, Norris went on the Chris Moyles radio show alongside his teammate Oscar Piastri to discuss the upcoming weekend.
. @ChrisMoyles asking @LandoNorris and @OscarPiastri about last weekend’s “highs and lows”
Great interview. @LN4 @NicolePiastri #F1 #LN4 #OP81 #BritishGP
— FormulaNerds ?? (@Formula_Nerds) July 3, 2024
In the interview, Norris commented on the incident, stating how after reviewing the incident, he wouldn’t change what he did:
“I reviewed everything, we’ve gone over stuff, and let’s say I won’t really change what I did,
“I was fighting, and that’s what we want – we want to fight!
“We don’t want to complain, we don’t want things to end like they did, both from my Max’s side and from my side. So, that’s life sometimes.
“We’re fighting, we both want to win, and we’re going to push it to the limits – some slightly more than others.”
“At the same time, I’m excited. We’re going to have more fights together, and I look forward to those times.”
Norris says: ‘it’s harder to do some things when you’re behind the wheel’
Continuing his conversation, Norris spoke about the difficulties of wheel-to-wheel action and how on track it isn’t as telling as it is on television:
“It’s tough, it’s a lot harder to do some things when you’re behind the wheel.”
“It’s never as easy as saying, ‘Why did you do that? Why didn’t you do this?’ Because when you’re in the car and you’re making these decisions…”
“It’s so hard to be as accurate as what it looks like on TV. So when it is those two centimetres that it should be or stuff like that, it’s almost impossible to judge.”
“But at the same time, it puts a smile on our face when we can have that competition in a race, and I think it’s good for everyone watching.” He concluded.
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