Fractured Friendships and Surprise Victories: Fallout from the F1 Austrian Grand Prix Shakes the Grid

Has the friendship between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris come to an end? Highlights from the F1 Austrian Grand Prix discussions

An overview of the main discussions from within the Spielberg paddock after the F1 Austrian Grand Prix.

A late-stage crash involving Max Verstappen and Lando Norris cleared the path for George Russell to secure an unexpected victory for Mercedes during the F1 Austrian Grand Prix.

Crash.net's Formula 1 lead journalist, Lewis Larkam, shares his insights after attending the season's 11th race in 2024…

Is it possible for Max Verstappen and Lando Norris to maintain their friendship?

During Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, Verstappen and Norris were engaged in an intense, uncompromising battle for first place, which ultimately led to a crash after some aggressive maneuvers on the track.

The convergence incensed McLaren and evoked memories of the epic showdowns between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in their momentous championship clash in 2021.

This incident was the inaugural instance of Verstappen and Norris engaging in direct racing battles. However, after a series of tight races in Miami, Imola, Canada, and Spain, the collision seemed almost destined to happen.

"According to Christian Horner, the principal of the Red Bull racing team, the clash was bound to happen considering how tightly they've been competing recently. He expressed regret over the situation."

Norris criticized Verstappen's aggressive and impulsive maneuvers after the incident that ruined the races for both of them, and he anticipates receiving an apology from the three-time world champion.

"The 24-year-old from Britain expressed to Sky Sports F1 that his esteem would significantly diminish if he claims to have not done anything incorrect."

Verstappen and Norris have a strong friendship, frequently playing padel and sharing flights to racing events. However, will this initial significant conflict challenge their bond?

"Perhaps they won't engage in padel tomorrow, but I'm convinced they'll discuss it," Horner surmised. "Being two fierce competitors, they're bound to have an open conversation about it, I'm certain of that.

"Undoubtedly, relationships face strains when there's intense competition."

Mercedes poised for victories based on performance?

Russell seized the opportunity amid the Verstappen and Norris clash to secure his first win of the season, marking the team's initial triumph since 2022.

In recent competitions, Mercedes has shown promising improvement through a robust development effort. However, the Silver Arrows have mostly been competing for the last position on the podium, instead of aiming for wins, in their latest outings.

Toto Wolff openly admitted that their recent victory wasn't purely due to their performance, humorously noting that Mercedes needs the frontrunners to collide to have a shot at winning right now. Despite this, he remains optimistic about Mercedes' improving form and believes the team will be contending for wins based solely on their capabilities before this season concludes.

"Wolff shared with the press, including Crash.net, that our car ranked as the third fastest on the track. He highlighted that this level of performance has been consistent over the past three weekends, which is a positive sign of both improvement and stability in our performance."

"The team is currently experiencing a significant surge in momentum that's propelling us towards a position where we can genuinely contend for victory based on our performance. I believe we're on track to achieve that."

Is Sergio Perez's performance a concern for Red Bull?

The race weekend in Austria was yet another disappointing event for Sergio Perez.

Kicking off 2024 with four top-three finishes in the first five races, the driver from Mexico hasn't managed to secure a spot on the podium since then, largely because of a series of disappointing performances in the qualifying sessions.

Perez crossed the finish line 17 seconds after Verstappen in the 23-lap sprint race on Saturday and managed to secure the seventh position for Sunday's grand prix, trailing his teammate by nine-tenths.

He subsequently suffered through a disappointing race, ending up in seventh place in the main event. In the final moments, Perez was overtaken by Haas' Nico Hulkenberg for the sixth position and crossed the finish line 17 seconds after Verstappen, even though the Dutch driver faced multiple challenges, such as a 10-second time penalty.

Horner has stepped up once more to support Perez, who just received a new two-year deal, despite growing concerns about his current performance. The head of Red Bull disclosed that Perez suffered significant damage to his RB20's sidepod due to a collision with McLaren's Oscar Piastri on the first lap, emphasizing that this detrimentally affected his speed on the straights.

Once more, the Alpines were at loggerheads during the Austrian Grand Prix, with Pierre Gasly expressing frustration after alleging that his teammate Esteban Ocon forced him off the track in the initial laps.

"Seriously? What just happened? Why did he force me off the track like that!" exclaimed Gasly, communicating his frustration to his team over the radio following their collision at Turn 3.

In a subsequent head-to-head race, the duo managed to avoid any mishaps, allowing Ocon to secure the last available point for the consistently advancing French team.

Haas, competitors of Alpine in the midfield, achieved their best performance of the season so far when Hulkenberg impressively outperformed Perez to secure sixth place, and his teammate Kevin Magnussen finished in eighth, collectively earning 12 points.

Achieving their second double points finish this season, the American team has surged past Alpine to secure the seventh position in the constructors' standings. Heading into the weekend in Austria, Haas was trailing Alpine by a single point but has now moved 10 points clear, placing them just 11 points shy of RB.

Carlos Sainz's career prospects shift

During the Austrian Grand Prix, new developments surfaced regarding Carlos Sainz's career, as rumors suggested the Spanish driver might be considering a move to Alpine.

It is believed that the departing Ferrari racer has already received solid proposals from Williams and Sauber. However, recent reports from Autosport and The Race indicate that Alpine has also entered the scene with a last-minute offer to secure his talents for the 2025 season.

According to a report by The Race, Carlos Sainz has postponed making a choice about his team for the upcoming season due to Alpine's suggestion that it might start using Mercedes engines by 2026. The article further indicates that this shift in perspective came about after Renault brought in Flavio Briatore as an executive advisor and began contemplating the possibility of discontinuing its own engine manufacturing efforts.

Sainz plays a pivotal role in determining the direction of the 2025 driver market, yet what initially seemed to be a simple decision between two teams has now become more complex.

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