The Red Bull Racing Ring is not a thrilling circuit since overtaking is nearly impossible. However, the drivers’ bravery and daring movements have kept it interesting this time. The Austrian Grand Prix was marked by accidents, crashes, penalties, and Verstappen’s failure to win. While McLaren was in contention to win the championship, an unfortunate occurrence hampered their setup.
As a result, George Russell secured the championship, while Lando Norris remained a spectator after lap 64. When Verstappen and Norris collided, both cars sustained damage. Verstappen returned to the track, but Norris had to withdraw. Thus, Race stewards had to work overtime as an investigation was carried out against Verstappen. The Dutchman was found guilty of reckless driving and handed a 10-second penalty. However, the list has been extended further ahead of the Silverstone weekend.
Race Stewards Extends The List Of Penalties For Verstappen’s Crash
Verstappen was in first place as the lights went off, followed by Norris in second. There had been many close calls between the two excellent friends, so they weren’t about to take it easy. However, the race’s turning moment came on lap 64, when the two crashed and damaged the tyres. Verstappen limped back to the pit and returned to the track after repairing the damage, but he was already behind. On the other side, Lando Norris had to retire due to the damage sustained by his F1 car. This incident infuriated both the front runners as Mercedes emerged victorious. As a result, the Dutchman blamed the RBR crew for the horrific outcome. After the race, Verstappen expressed his thoughts on the tragic occurrence and lashed out at the local team. When asked about the early near calls, he replied they were at a safe distance and that the actions were not hazardous. Furthermore, he thought Norris was clumsy, as the collision might have been prevented.
While the Dutchman was handed a 10-second penalty, he still managed to squeeze into fifth place. However, the race stewards had to reinvestigate the entire incident and ultimately determined that Verstappen was entirely at fault. Thus, he was handed two demerit points on his F1 super-license. This extends his tally of demerit points in the last 12 months to four. Moreover, 12 penalty points in a span of one year could result in a ban. Thus, the champion driver would like to avoid the close calls in the upcoming races.
Lando Norris Might Lose Respect For His Friend Verstappen
Things don’t look good between the dynamic duo of Norris and Verstappen. The McLaren star mentioned that if Verstappen admitted to making a mistake and being reckless, he would have some respect for him.
However, if Verstappen claimed he did nothing wrong, Norris would lose a lot of respect for him. He expressed uncertainty about whether their friendship would be affected, stating that it depended on Verstappen’s response. If Verstappen insisted he did nothing wrong, Norris said he would lose a lot of respect for him.