Andrea Stella wasted no time in criticizing Christian Horner’s remarks about Lando Norris.
Christian Horner and Lando Norris, alongside Max Verstappen, engaged in a fierce battle on the track that didn’t end well. The two drivers collided on lap 64, resulting in Verstappen receiving a 10-second penalty. Norris, on the other hand, had to retire due to a puncture in his car and has now responded to the situation.
The team principal of Red Bull claimed that Lando Norris was deliberately causing trouble at Turn 3. This accusation was made because the young British driver attempted multiple overtakes on Max Verstappen at Turn 3 but failed each time. Andrea Stella strongly criticized Horner’s statement, deeming such comments unacceptable. Stella found it hard to accept and believe Horner’s accusations.
Furthermore, Stella implied that Horner’s accusation reflected more on Verstappen’s character than it did on Norris’ actions at Turn 3. This statement made it clear that there is a deeper disagreement between Stella and Horner regarding the incident.
The Italian team principal expressed his admiration for Max Verstappen, acknowledging his exceptional driving skills and achievements. However, Stella believed that defending aggressively against other drivers, as seen in the Austrian GP, was unnecessary. Stella emphasized that such defensive actions are not befitting of a successful driver like Verstappen and may go against the spirit of fair competition and respect among drivers.
Andrea Stella argued that in racing, sometimes the leader must accept that the car behind deserves a chance to overtake. He believed that if Norris had successfully overtaken Verstappen during the race, it would have created an exciting situation. Verstappen could have then used the DRS to try and regain the position on the next lap. Stella believed this would have added to the thrill and excitement of the race.
Undoubtedly, Andrea Stella deemed Max Verstappen’s actions unacceptable. The race could have been even more intriguing if that incident had not occurred. McLaren confirmed their determination to continue fighting against Red Bull and Verstappen, just as they did in Austria, in order to win the race.
