The sports world is a peculiar place. Athletes are often showered with praise when performing well, but criticism can swiftly follow if something goes awry. This is exactly what happened with Max Verstappen during the Austrian GP. The three-time world champion had a solid start to the weekend, claiming yet another pole. However, things went horribly wrong during the final phase of the Sunday race.
Thus, the champion racer was criticized by almost everyone and received two demerit points from the stewards. However, all the mayhem might not hinder his pursuit of a consecutive fourth-world title. The Red Bull chief Christian Horner has backed Verstappen, claiming a comeback is around the corner.
“He’s A Tough Racer,” Christian Horner Anticipates A Strong Comeback From Max Verstappen Following A Forgetful Austrian GP
When the Red Bull convoy landed on its home soil, everyone knew they were the favorites to clinch the victory. While the team entered the Red Bull racing arena with confidence, it departed with numerous setbacks. Max Verstappen claimed another pole during the qualifying, further enhancing his chances of winning. Thus, the Dutchman began the Sunday campaign from P1 and held onto the lead for most of the race. However, Lando Norris was the only racer on the grid who came close to Verstappen, giving him a tough fight. The battle between the two best drivers was intense as they escaped a couple of close calls. Sadly, the battle ended abruptly on turn three when Verstappen blocked a vicious attempt to overtake. As a result, the two collided, puncturing the tyre, while Norris’s car sustained more damage. This left them disheartened and furious as their race was ruined.
The RBR team boss, Christian Horner, revisited the race, highlighting the unfortunate incident. During an interaction with Sky Sports, Horner backed Verstappen, claiming it was a learning experience for both drivers. Further, he confirmed there is no issue between the Verstappen and Norris. Moreover, Horner hailed Verstappen’s gritty nature, calling him a ‘tough racer’ who would not change his attitude. Ultimately, the British motorsport executive believes we’ll witness more intense and close races between Verstappen and Norris as they both have a fast F1 car.
Lando Norris Feels Verstappen Was ‘Desperate’ For The Win
The 24-year-old McLaren racer reflected on his unfortunate DNF during the Austrian GP. Norris was close to winning his second career GP in a span of one month. However, the crash ended his dream and left a mark on his friendship with Verstappen.
He said Verstappen did exactly what was not allowed and thus got penalized. The Australian expected a challenging yet fair battle with the reigning world champion. However, it all went ugly on turn 3 of Spielberg’s track. Thus, he feels Verstappen was desperate to win because of his reckless driving.