Christian Horner Defends Verstappen Amidst Controversy, Praises Norris’ Aggressive Tactics at Austrian GP

Christian Horner: Max Verstappen's penalty was “a little severe” | Lando Norris was “aggressive”

Christian Horner shares his perspective on the incident between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris during the Austrian Grand Prix.

Christian Horner, the head of Red Bull's Formula 1 team, stated that a collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the Austrian Grand Prix was bound to happen.

Following a fierce battle for the top position, the two competitors finally collided on the 64th lap at the Red Bull Ring.

Verstappen shifted a bit to the left while braking at Turn 3, leading to a collision.

Each driver suffered from a flat tire, leading to Norris exiting the race because of the damage he incurred.

Verstappen managed to keep going but ended up in fifth place.

Talking to a few media outlets, including Crash.net, in Austria, Horner shared his perspective on the incident.

"It was bound to happen given how closely they've been competing in recent weeks. It's unfortunate," he remarked. "Lando already had four infractions. He was likely going to receive a five-second penalty regardless. In my opinion, it was just a racing incident."

"I felt that the 10-second penalty given to Max was somewhat severe. Fortunately, it didn't impact his race since it had already been compromised by the puncture he sustained."

“It’s extremely frustrating. However, even though neither of his main competitors earned any points today, we still managed to secure 10 points in the drivers' standings and 16 points in the constructors' standings. Additionally, McLaren only managed to gain two points on us.”

Tensions were gradually rising between Verstappen and Norris, especially because of the McLaren driver's late aggressive moves.

Nevertheless, Horner declined to strongly condemn Norris for his driving.

"He was asserting himself aggressively. Both are competitive drivers," he mentioned. "It's likely a residual effect from yesterday. Max overtook him without DRS at Turn 4, and then his teammate also got past him, so that probably influenced his behavior."

"It's really unfortunate because we were managing everything perfectly today. I believe that the last pit stop brought Lando back into the race, and with the better tires he had, it was sufficient for him to get into the DRS zone."

Horner admitted that their friendship will probably be "strained" as their competition intensifies.

"He remarked that Max is known for his aggressive racing style and the others are aware of it. He suggested that Lando was attempting to compensate for his performance the previous day. He noted that this kind of tension had been brewing for a few races, and it was bound to lead to a close encounter between them eventually."

“Perhaps they won't participate in padel tomorrow, but I'm confident they'll discuss it. They're both determined competitors who will address matters candidly, I'm certain of that.”

"Interactions among drivers differ throughout the lineup. In the end, mutual respect is crucial. Unavoidably, strong competition can strain friendships."

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