On lap 64 of the Austrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Lando Norris of McLaren squared off in front of the racing world. Because of the impact of the accident, Norris was forced to retire from the race, while Verstappen finished in fifth place following a ten-second penalty. During a post-race media session, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner discussed the dynamics and aftermath of the event. Horner, who expressed ambivalence about the penalties imposed, suggested that the crash was really a racing incident that was made worse by the drivers’ previous heated races against one another. He said, as Crash.net cited him:
The way they’ve been racing these past few weeks, I believe it was inevitable that they were. It’s unfortunate.” Horner thought Verstappen’s 10-second penalty was too harsh, even though there was a heated scene on the track. And he went on:
Lando has already received four strikes for exceeding the track limit. He was probably going to receive a five-second penalty nonetheless, in my opinion. Furthermore, I believe it was a racing event.
Max received a 10-second penalty, which was a little excessive in my opinion. Luckily, it made little difference because the puncture he received had already wrecked his race. “It’s really annoying. On a day when none of his primary rivals managed to score, we managed to secure 10 points in the drivers’ category, 16 in the constructors’ category, and I believe McLaren only managed to gain two points above us.
It was Morris, he was flexing his elbows. Two formidable competitors. Most likely, there is a slight hangover from yesterday. Into Turn 4, Max overtook him without using DRS. There was undoubtedly some residual effects from the time he was mugged by a teammate. It was unfortunate because today we had everything under control. I believe that Lando’s last pit stop brought him back into the race, and his tire advantage was sufficient to get him into the DRS.”
Horner also discussed how pressure and rising competitiveness are influencing the decisions made by the Dutch driver and Norris while on the track. He thought that while their friendship may temporarily suffer due to the competition, their mutual respect in the workplace would not be affected. “They know that Max is a challenging racer, in my opinion. I believe Lando was attempting to atone for yesterday. It seemed unavoidable that this skyscraper would be visible for a few races at least. There was going to be a tight relationship between the two of them eventually.
It’s possible that they won’t play padel tomorrow, but they’ll definitely discuss it. They’re two tough competitors, and I have no doubt that they’ll discuss things honestly.
Driver relationships differ throughout the grid. The most crucial factor is respect, which is ultimately present. Friendships inevitably suffer when one is competing fiercely.”