Lando Norris Retracts Demand for Max Verstappen Apology After Austrian GP Crash
In a surprising turn of events, Lando Norris has retracted his demand for Max Verstappen to admit fault for their Formula 1 crash in Austria, and now believes that no apology is necessary. The incident, which occurred last weekend in Spielberg, resulted in both drivers losing their chance at victory, with Verstappen receiving a penalty from the stewards for causing the collision.
Norris had initially labelled Verstappen “reckless, stupid and desperate” in the aftermath of the race, but has since spoken with his fellow driver and changed his stance. As the Formula 1 circus arrived at Silverstone for this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Norris revealed that he no longer felt an apology was necessary.
“I honestly don’t think he needed to apologize, some of the things I said in the pen after the race were more just because I was frustrated at the time,” Norris explained ahead of his home race. “A lot of adrenaline, a lot of emotions, and I probably said some things I didn’t believe in, especially later on in the week.”
The McLaren driver acknowledged that the incident was a small but costly mistake, stating, “It was a pretty pathetic incident in terms of what ended both our races, it wasn’t like an obvious bit of contact. It was probably one of the smallest bits of contact you could have, but with a pretty terrible consequence for both of us, especially for myself.”
Norris and Verstappen, who are friends outside of the track, have discussed the incident and are ready to move forward. While Norris believes that both drivers could have taken actions to avoid the crash, he emphasized the importance of the FIA re-enforcing regulations regarding moving under braking, citing the potential for even larger incidents.
- “It’s a tricky one. Max isn’t going to want to crash, he’s not going to want to ruin his own race and his own chances,” Norris said.
- “Avoiding an incident for moving under braking is probably the biggest part of it. That can very easily be an incident that comes from such a thing, and I think that’s something we have to be very careful of. That’s just something for the future and something that the stewards need to be aware of, that something could easily go wrong.”
As the Formula 1 season continues, Norris’ retraction of his apology demand and focus on regulatory clarification suggest a renewed emphasis on safety and responsible driving in the high-stakes world of Formula 1 racing.
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