The end of the Austrian Grand Prix was perhaps the most unpredictable of the season. Paddock is still not used to the fact that McLaren is constantly staying close to Red Bull, so now Max Verstappen has upped the ante. The Dutchman fought very hard against the attacks of Lando Norris and in the end a collision occurred. It was perhaps the highest-profile leadership clash since the 2021 British Grand Prix.
Max vs. Lando
In the first phase of the race, Verstappen confidently pulled away from the pack and was 7.5 seconds ahead of Norris before the final pit stops. And this time, Red Bull’s normally infallible mechanics hesitated behind the wheel: Max remained in the lead, but his lead was reduced to 1.8 seconds. Furthermore, in a new “medium”, Lando was suddenly faster and instantly caught up with the leader.
In the end, McLaren was noticeably faster. Even when Norris temporarily fell behind Verstappen by more than a second during the overtaking at the roundabout, the Briton easily recovered and secured a position behind in the DRS zone. Lando understood that he had time to prepare an attack, but at the same time he knew that Max would defend extremely aggressively. There was no chance of coming forward without risk.
How was the Austrian Grand Prix?
The race between Verstappen and Norris ended in an accident! The rivals gave the victory to Mercedes
And in the end, Norris’s risk was calculated. However, on lap 59, Lando overstepped and almost lost the victory. Firstly, the Briton risked ruining his set of tyres, and secondly, he received a five-second penalty for this mistake. Even if he had taken the lead on lap 66, it is not a fact that he would have managed to overtake Verstappen by five seconds. On the other hand, at the time of the collision, Norris did not take any risks: he entered the hairpin from the outside, allowing Verstappen, if he wanted to, to squeeze the McLaren and ruin its acceleration.
However, Max miscalculated on entry. The Dutchman always fights at the limit and leaves his opponents the minimum allowed space of up to one centimetre. This time, Verstappen moved out a centimetre further than necessary, even though it was already the second turn before the third corner.
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Was the game worth it?
The decision of the judges who found Max guilty of the accident did not mention any change of course again. The document only indicates that the movement of his car to the left caused the collision. Verstappen deliberately squeezed Norris, trying to put him in the most uncomfortable position in this turn, and to do so he took more risks than Lando himself.
It may seem that the Dutchman’s risk, paradoxically, paid off. Of course, losing a victory on the team’s home track is unpleasant, but doesn’t Max have enough victories in Spielberg? After the collision, his car kept moving and came home in fifth place, the ten-second penalty didn’t matter: Hulkenberg was far behind and in the overall standings Verstappen’s lead increased to 81 points. Whatever the outcome of the next races, the reigning champion will go into the summer break as the leader.
However, these are not excuses. Max was lucky that it was McLaren and not Red Bull that retired after the impact. Had the impact occurred at a slightly different angle, Verstappen would have stopped in the pits and Lando would have avoided the puncture altogether and won. In this case, the leader Red Bull’s reserve in the standings would be a much more modest 46 points.
Lando Norris after the Austrian Grand Prix
Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images
The worst thing for Milton Keynes is different. Verstappen, who has made minimal mistakes in recent seasons, is starting to falter under pressure. In Miami, the champion cut the chicane, in qualifying in Monaco he hit the top at the last attempt and now he overdid it in the fight with Norris. It’s not that Max has started to drive worse, it’s just that the pressure has intensified.
And after this weekend there will be even more pressure, not only on the Dutchman, but also on the mechanics. After all, it was they who put the driver in danger in Austria. It is doubtful that Norris could have gained seven seconds in the final segment, and even if he could, he would have had to overtake Max on already worn tyres.
However, McLaren now know that they can force Verstappen to make mistakes and will fight him with redoubled energy. Lando will definitely want to respond to the Dutchman, and he no longer has any hopes of winning the championship title, so he is now ready to go all the way. And it will be extremely interesting to see how Max will fare in a fight with a driver who is no less aggressive and has a car of the same speed.
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