"If Max Verstappen says he did nothing wrong, then I'll lose a lot of respect for that": Lando Norris makes his feelings clear after Austrian GP clash

Lando Norris recently shared how he feels after colliding with his good friend Max Verstappen at the 2024 F1 Austrian GP. The McLaren driver said that his relationship with Verstappen depends on what the latter says.

Both drivers were racing hard against each other for the race win in the latter stages of the Austrian GP. On several occasions, Norris tried to overtake Verstappen with his fresher medium tire, but the latter regained the lead.

Their intense wheel-to-wheel battle resulted in a collision on Turn 3 in Lap 64 which punctured both their cars. However, Verstappen did not suffer nearly as much as Norris. The McLaren driver was forced to retire from the Austrian GP due to damage to other sections of his car in the incident.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Norris stated that if Verstappen acknowledged his error, he would still have some respect for him. On the other hand, he would lose a great deal of respect for the reigning world champion if he didn't.

"I don't know. It depends what he says. If he says he did nothing wrong, then I'll lose a lot of respect for that. If he admits to being a bit stupid and running into me and just being a bit reckless in a way, then I'll have a small amount of respect for it," Norris said.

---

Max Verstappen shares his views on his collision with Lando Norris in the 2024 F1 Austrian GP

Following the collision with Lando Norris at the Austrian GP, Max Verstappen discussed whether or not he gave enough space to the McLaren driver to pass him.

He spoke to the media after watching the onboard footage and mulling over the entire battle. He mentioned how, particularly when competing for a race victory, drivers typically drive fiercely and offer their opponents as little room as possible. The Red Bull driver continued by saying that it was unfortunate that he and his friend Lando Norris were involved in an incident (via GPBlog):

“When we are in the car you initially think, 'Have I done something wrong? Didn't I leave enough space... half a car width?' or whatever. I honestly think I did leave a car's width on the white line,” Verstappen said.

“You race hard. Like I'm not there, you know, to give two cars width because then I know he's going to get me on the exit. You race hard for a race win. As a friend you never want to touch or crash, but it happened today. At the end of the day, it's part of racing. I think we are both of course disappointed with the outcome,” he added.

Max Verstappen leads the drivers' championship with 237 points, while Lando Norris is in second place with 156 points after the Austrian GP.