Max Verstappen was held responsible for the collision with Lando Norris in the final moments of the race.
The Austrian Grand Prix was an exciting event full of ups and downs. Verstappen made significant progress in the last stages, but his intense battle ended in an accident. Drawing parallels between the current season and the epic 2021 season, the team boss expressed his desire to avoid a repeat of the past.
The 2021 season will always be remembered for the intense title fight between Verstappen and his rival. The competition remained mostly fair, with both drivers showing respect for each other. However, tensions reached a breaking point at the British Grand Prix when the British driver took Verstappen out of the race. This incident set the stage for subsequent collisions and dangerous situations, with Verstappen finding himself in a similar role.
A similar rivalry seemed to be forming in the pits as Lando Norris and the reigning champion fiercely fought for every inch of the track in Spielberg. Unfortunately, this battle ended with Norris retiring from the race.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella expressed his dissatisfaction with the escalation of the dispute between the two drivers. He emphasized the need to avoid a repeat of the events of 2021. While acknowledging that fans found the fight entertaining, Stella believed it was for the wrong reasons, as both drivers were aggressive and disregarded the rules.
The collision between Verstappen and Norris resulted in Norris’s retirement from the race, while Verstappen managed to continue after a pit stop and scored 11 points for his team.
This significant difference in results was not well-received in the pits. The FIA quickly penalized the 26-year-old driver with a 10-second penalty, but this did not hinder Verstappen’s progress.
Stella was disappointed with how the incident was handled and called for better enforcement of the rules. He believed that the rules were already in place and that the pilots should fear the consequences of exceeding the limits.
However, it should be noted that Norris was also making risky maneuvers in his attempts to overtake Verstappen, as noted by several experts. Therefore, both pilots played a role in the collision, but Verstappen was responsible for the accident.
