“They’ll be fine”: Adrian Newey expecting no love lost between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris following Austrian GP

Adrian Newey is the latest F1 personnel to weigh in on the Max Verstappen-Lando Norris skirmish from the Austrian GP. The master aerodynamicist, in his recent interview, indicated that the two 'great' drivers would sort their way out ahead of the next race, and 'will be fine.'

Verstappen's on-track skirmish with Norris at Spielberg has been the talk of the sport for days now. As much as the blame game was going on between the two parties, renowned experts jumped on the bandwagon to take sides, while a few remained neutral.

The incident gathered so much pace that McLaren from their official X handle uploaded an analysis video by Sky Sports F1, aimed at the Red Bull driver, which the fans did not take wisely. However, the question in everybody's mind was, will Verstappen and Norris stay friends after this? Well, Newey has an answer.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Red Bull's Chief Technology Officer said:

"I would imagine Max and Lando, they will probably had a little chat. They're both great lads, they will have sorted out amongst themselves and I think it's one of those where everybody's getting a little fractious."

"But not to allocate blame at all, I think it's just one of those things that they're both great drivers and they'll be fine," Newey added.

During the Lap 64 of the 2024 Austrian GP, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris made contact with each other. This punctured their tires and jeopardized their races. While Verstappen was able to return to the pit stop, change tires, and return in P5, Norris had to go home with a DNF.

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What did Max Verstappen and Lando Norris have to say about the skirmish?

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)

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris both shared their opinions following the monumental tangle at Red Bull Ring. However, none of the drivers accepted that it was their fault, head-on.

Norris, in the post-race interview, stated that he would lose a lot of respect for Verstappen if the Dutchman said 'he did nothing wrong.'

Verstappen, on the other hand, had his justification. He stated:

"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."

Formula 1 moves to UK up next for the 12th race of the season. It will be interesting to see if the British fans get to witness another fierce wheel-to-wheel battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.