Max Verstappen doubles down on 'nationality' as the Red Bull driver addresses backlash over the Lando Norris incident

Max Verstappen has doubled down on his nationality being a concern as the incident involving the driver and Lando Norris continues to create talking points. Talking to a Dutch broadcaster, Verstappen said that his passport is one of the reasons why his incident has been the center of discussion in the media.

At the race in Austin, the Red Bull driver was in a battle with McLaren driver Lando Norris for the final place on the podium. Norris was on fresher tires and was putting pressure on Verstappen.

The battle ended when Verstappen went off track while defending from Norris. As it turns out, Norris also took evasive action and went off himself. When the two drivers re-emerged on the track, Norris was ahead of Verstappen. The Red Bull driver complained to the stewards during the race, and hence the McLaren driver was handed a 5-second penalty.

The penalty's aftermath has divided opinion, as many feel that Verstappen pushing Norris off the track should also be considered. Since then, there has been an extensive discussion on whether a change in regulation is needed.

Max Verstappen, however, has not taken this backlash lightly. Talking to Viaplay, Verstappen said that the biggest problem from the crash was his nationality. He claimed that the fact that he's not a Brit and Norris is has led to a lot of what has happened. He said:

"First of all, I didn't really expect that I could keep him behind me, because they were a lot faster. I didn't have any grip at all, but I did everything I could and in the end, we finished ahead of him of course with that penalty, so we can't complain. No actually, but I have the wrong passport, it is of the wrong country to be complaining."

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Lando Norris gave his verdict on the battle with Max Verstappen

Lando Norris also talked about his battle with Max Verstappen during the race in Austin and felt that the Dutch driver was not bothered about where he finished until he was ahead of him. The Red Bull driver ended up finishing the race in P3, a position ahead of the McLaren driver for the first time in the second half of the season.

Talking about the incident, Norris said:

"Max didn't care if he won, or second or third, his only job was to beat me and he did that. There are some little things I need to change, but I don't need to change my whole approach. I'll make the changes that I need to make, whether it's being more aggressive at times or less aggressive or whatever. I'll do what I think is right.”

The two drivers will once again lock horns against each other this race weekend in Mexico.