Sports
Verstappen Unfazed by Critics, Values Friendship with Norris After Dramatic Austrian GP Collision
Max Verstappen remains unfazed by detractors, stating his indifference towards criticism; his friendship with Lando Norris remains intact.
"The sole aspect that matters to me is preserving my bond with Lando."
Max Verstappen emphasizes that preserving his relationship with Lando Norris is his sole concern after their intense crash at the F1 Austrian Grand Prix.
During a heated contest for first place, Verstappen and Norris made contact at Turn 3, on the 64th lap out of 71, at the Red Bull Ring.
The accident dashed the hopes of both drivers for a win, allowing George Russell to unexpectedly clinch a victory for Mercedes.
Initially, Norris had voiced criticism towards Verstappen, suggesting that the Red Bull driver should issue an apology. However, he retracted his statements before the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend.
In response to a question about whether he thinks he has received unfair criticism, Verstappen shared with journalists, including those from Crash.net, "I don’t care about that at all. I return home and lead my life."
"The sole thing that mattered to me was preserving my bond with Lando, as we share a strong friendship."
Verstappen commented, "I mentioned post-race that it's best to allow some time for emotions to settle. By Monday, we had a conversation and realized that, in fact, we truly appreciated the competition between us."
"Obviously, both of us paid attention to what happened. It was a minor incident that unexpectedly had significant repercussions for us both, particularly for Lando due to the way the puncture developed. However, we do enjoy engaging in intense racing."
"For a long time now, our experience isn't limited to just Formula 1; we've also enjoyed plenty of online racing. It's important that these activities continue since they're what we enjoy and, in my opinion, they're also beneficial for Formula 1."
The thrice-crowned global champion believes that despite their increasingly frequent fierce competitions on the track in 2024, the duo can maintain their friendship.
"He explained, "We were in agreement on virtually everything, which I believe is significant."
Of course, I mentioned to Lando that whenever he attempts to overtake from the inside or the outside, he can be confident that I won't intentionally collide with him to force him off track. Likewise, he assured me of the same, as we had a discussion about this too.
"Understandably, when someone makes a sudden move to pass on either side, it's common for people to have a bit of a response to it."
"However, I believed that all my actions were fairly moderate and not excessively extravagant."
Naturally, in designing a vehicle, you aim to push the boundaries of the regulations.
"Perhaps you encounter some ambiguities along the way. That's just part of the process in racing. Without navigating through these, reaching the pinnacle of driving and achieving success in any aspect of life remains unattainable."
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