Lando Norris will ‘lose a lot of respect’ if Max Verstappen fails to apologize for controversial Austrian Grand Prix incident

CNN
 — 

Lando Norris said he would lose respect for friend Max Verstappen if the Red Bull driver fails to apologize for a collision between the pair during a controversial Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.

McLaren’s Norris and Verstappen had been disputing the lead in a tense battle at the front of the race before the drivers made contact during an incident on lap 64.

Race stewards later handed Verstappen a 10-second penalty for causing the collision which led to Norris retiring from the race with a puncture and car damage.

“It depends what he says. If he says he did nothing wrong, then I lose a lot of respect for that,” a “disappointed” Norris told Sky Sports during his post-race interview.

“If he admits to being a bit stupid and running into me and just being a bit reckless in a way, then I’ll have a small amount of respect for it.”

Norris and Verstappen are close friends off the track, but their relationship has been tested this year with both challenging for the drivers’ championship.

The tension appeared to boil over Sunday, with Norris feeling like he was denied what could have been a vital win in the hunt for his first world title.

Despite receiving a time penalty and having to pit to repair some damage, Verstappen still finished fifth, meaning his lead over Norris extended to 81 points in the championship standings.

“It’s still a tough one to take when we’re fighting for the win and I’m trying to be fair from my side and he just wasn’t. That’s not what I’m thinking about. I don’t care about that now. I’m just gutted for the team,” Norris added.

“I was just trying to drive my race. He was clearly a lot slower at the end. He ruined his own race just as much as he ruined mine. There’s nothing more I can do. I did my best and it was good enough, but I got ruined through not my own fault.”

When Norris’ comments were put to Verstappen, the 26-year-old said he would need to watch the race again.

“Everyone can have their own opinion. From the outside, it’s easy to judge and comment,” he told Sky Sports.

“I need to look back at why or how we touched. Of course, we’ll talk about it. It’s just unfortunate that it happened.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner backed his driver and told Sky Sports it was just “one of those things” while McLaren’s team principal Andrea Stella said “the entire population in the world would know who is responsible.”

The pair of drivers will renew their rivalry at the British Grand Prix on July 7, where Verstappen will be looking to tighten his grip on what would be his fourth world title.