F1 NEWS: LANDO NORRIS DELIVERS DAMNING MAX VERSTAPPEN FRIENDSHIP VERDICT AFTER AUSTRIAN GP COLLISION
McLaren star Lando Norris has delivered a damning assessment of his collision with Red Bull's Max Verstappen at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The three-time world champion and the British star were one and two until the very latter stages of Sunday's showpiece, as they often have been this season.
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For the majority of the race, Verstappen appeared to be in a commanding position, with Norris far enough behind that he was never really at risk of any sort of undercut or clever McLaren strategy.
However, when the pair both pitted with just over 20 laps to go for medium tyres, an unusually slow Red Bull pit stop meant Norris was now just a few seconds behind the Dutchman.
To make matters worse for Verstappen, on the medium tyre, the McLaren, with Norris at the wheel, seemed to have the upper hand in terms of pace, and eventually, the two became embroiled in a fierce battle for the lead.
Eventually, though, it ended in disaster for both, with a collision resulting in damage for the drivers. Norris was forced to retire due to the coming together, whilst Verstappen was forced to pit with a puncture and later slammed with a double penalty from the FIA for his part in the matter.
Lando Norris delivers Max Verstappen verdict
Speaking to the media after the race, Norris cut a downbeat figure but was very honest when it came to assessing what had happened on the track.
The British star told the media that he didn't feel it was a fair battle between the duo before he was eventually taken out.
“I don’t know what to say. Disappointed, nothing more than that honestly," Norris said in the media pen.
"It was a good race, I looked forward to just a fair battle, a strong fair battle. But I wouldn’t say that’s what it was in the end.
"Tough one to take, it was a mistake-free race from my side and I felt like I did a good job, but got taken out of the race. Nothing more than that."
Prior to their collision, Norris had complained on the radio several times about Verstappen moving under braking, which he doubled down on post-race.
“I mean, there’s a rule, you’re not allowed to react to the driver and that’s what he did three times out of three," the British star continued.
"Two times I managed to avoid it and not run into him, not lock up and run into him and third time, he ran into me."
Norris and Verstappen are known to be good friends off-track, but Norris insisted he would lose respect for the Dutchman if he avoided taking any responsibility for his part in the collision.
"I don’t know, it depends what he says," Norris said when quizzed on their friendship.
"If he says he did nothing wrong, then I 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 lose a smaller amount of respect for that.”
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