F1 pundit opines the FIA had a role to play in the Max Verstappen-Lando Norris clash

Peter Windsor has shared his thoughts on the recent Max Verstappen-Lando Norris skirmish at the Austrian Grand Prix. The F1 pundit believes that the FIA had a role to play and had the authority to prevent the on-track collision between the two drivers.

Formula 1 was in Austria for the 11th race of the 2024 season, where George Russell picked up a surprising victory. Thanks to their on-track battles, Verstappen and Norris were able to help the British driver win his second Grand Prix of the year. Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri came next, completing the podium.

Verstappen and Norris began fighting for the race lead after the Red Bull driver had an unnaturally slow pit stop in Lap 54. This reduced the gap between him and Norris. As the McLaren driver came within touching distance, they began to jockey for positions, ultimately proving costly for both of them.

Amid this, Norris was driving with a warning on his head. He left the track on four occasions without justifiable reasons. After being flagged down for the third time with a black and white flag, he was given a five-second penalty the fourth time.

However, Windsor believes it was too little too late.

"That decision had been made after the end of the race, that was published after the end of the race but we knew there was some investigation going on," Windsor said on his own YouTube channel.

"If that decision had been published, obviously given out during the course of the race, Max Verstappen would have won the Austrian Grand Prix. Because he would have just let Lando go past with his five-second penalty, and followed in the DRS and finished a few seconds behind him and won the race," he added.

Norris began his on-track tussles with Max Verstappen in Lap 54 and received the final warning in Lap 58. In the end, both drivers tangled with each other and jeopardized their race in Lap 64, following which the FIA handed Norris the five-second time penalty.

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Andrea Stella and Toto Wolff have contrasting views on Max Verstappen-Lando Norris incident

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 leads Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes during the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 30, 2024 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Andrea Stella and Toto Wolff shared their takes on the recent Max Verstappen-Lando Norris incident in Austria, and they were contrasting with each other.

Stella, the McLaren boss, was of the opinion that FIA's lenient punishment of Verstappen from the 2021 season was the reason behind the Red Bull driver's on-track ordeal against Norris.

"They [on-track skirmishes] have come back today because they were not addressed properly [by the FIA] in the past when there was some fights with Lewis that needed to be punished in a harsher way," Stella said.

However, Wolff was not ready to buy into Stella's statement. He stated that the incidents did not have any correlation with the one that occured in the 2021 season.

"I wouldn’t see that as a big consequence of 2021 not having been managed well to what happened in 2024. I don’t think they have a correlation,” Wolff stated.

The 2021 F1 season saw Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fight on all fronts for the title.