When the Red Bull team thought they had overcome the internal chaos, everything took a drastic turn. The team was upbeat after consecutive victories in the Spanish GP and Canada GP. However, they were unaware that an unfortunate incident awaited them on the home ground.
Thus, when Verstappen was a few miles away from clinching another victory in Spielberg, he made contact with Norris, and everything went in vain. Since the crash, the Dutchman endured a massive backlash from the F1 fraternity. Some fans claimed him to be a reckless driver, as he was risking it all. Thus, Christian Horner came in his defense and safeguarded the Red Bull starlet. However, on a recent episode of the SKY F1 Podcast, the panel criticized how RBR management handled the entire situation.
SKY F1 Podcast Panel Unanimously Criticze The Aftermath Of The Verstappen-Norris Ugly Crash
The SKY F1 podcast commentator, David Croft, started the conversation by saying the RBR management, including Horner, Jonathan Wheatley, and Gianpiero Lambiase, should be called in for a chat with Stewards. Further, Croft said while defending their driver, the RBR personnel tried to put all the blame on Lando Norris. However, he clarified that Norris was not at fault, as Norris had his car in the right place. However, Verstappen turned to the brakes, which caused the issue. Additionally, the SKY commentator claimed that Red Bull is not doing Verstappen any favors by making him believe he is always right. Moreover, if they keep backing him in the wrong, Verstappen will continue to commit such peculiar and risky mistakes.
Moreover, Croft believes that if Red Bull continues to back its driver in such situations, it will eventually backfire, casting them more than the Austrian GP. Thus, it is high time the RBR management had a straight chat with Verstappen, making him understand his mistake. If they continue cosseting the Dutchman, it will come with terrible consequences. Damion Hil, who was a part of the panel, agreed with Croft’s analysis. Further, he added that they should have a chat behind closed doors. He also discussed the possibility that the Red Bull Racing management might have already had that tough conversation, but they always protect the three-time world champion publicly. In addition, Hill lauded Verstappen’s driving skills but feels he needs to resurrect his attitude.
Helmut Marko Confident Of A Comeback In The British GP
Helmut Marko has described the team’s future steps. Marko told OE24 that the squad would ‘strike back’ as they are motivated to recover. He suggested that the team will significantly improve the Silverstone GP. The Austrian stated that the team’s primary aim is to win the world championship and that the Austrian Grand Prix let them reflect before moving on.