If the race had been generally calm and even dull, the Austrian Grand Prix ended in total acrimony with the collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris on the 64th lap. The incident, for which the Dutchman was quickly found responsible, cost both men the chance to win and put the triple world champion’s on-track attitude in these tense battles back at the center of the debate.
The collision occurred after a series of questionable movements by Verstappen which did not go unnoticed by Norris, who reported them several times on the radio. In particular, he criticized the Red Bull driver for systematically moving in reaction to his attempts to brake at Turn 3, increasing the chances that the fight would end badly.
Asked to react to this end of the race where the collision initiated by Verstappen cost his driver dearly, forced to retire after a puncture, Andrea Stella simply made the link between the behavior adopted by the Dutchman this Sunday and situations in the 2021 season which, according to him, were not punished with sufficient severity at the time.
[Ces manœuvres] have resurfaced today because they weren’t handled properly in the past, when there were fights with Lewis that should have been punished more severely.
“I see it this way: everyone in the world knows who is responsible, except for a group of people [Red Bull, Verstappen et leurs fans]”, he told Sky Sports. “But the problem with all this is that if you don’t address these things honestly, they will resurface.”
“They have resurfaced today because they were not treated properly in the past, when there were fights with Lewis [Hamilton] who should have been punished more severely. Now you have to learn to run in a certain way that you can consider correct and fair.”
VIDEO – Norris and Verstappen clash in Austria
During the 2021 season, several incidents and clashes took place between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in the fight for the title, among which it is possible to cite (in one direction as in the other) the cases of Imola, Silverstone, Monza, Interlagos, Jeddah or Abu Dhabi. At the time already, many questions were raised about Verstappen’s behavior on the track, especially in defense of his position, judged by some observers as very aggressive, often on the edge of legality.
Asked in particular about the episode in Brazil, which had sparked much criticism because Verstappen had chosen to go very far off track at Turn 4 to prevent Hamilton from passing without the stewards launching an investigation, Stella replied: “Yes, there are a lot of episodes. The fact is we have a lot of respect for Red Bull, a lot of respect for Max, and they don’t need to do that. They don’t need to do that. It’s almost a way of tarnishing your reputation. Why would you do that?”
We have a lot of respect for Red Bull, a lot of respect for Max, and they don’t need to do that. It’s almost a way to tarnish your reputation. Why do that ?
“It’s not about racing like a driver”added Stella, “It’s about racing within the rules. The regulations must be applied effectively, because when a car is taken out of the race as a result of this accident, the sanction must be proportional to the consequences. Before this episode, twice there were movements when braking I think it’s obvious and that we have to impose the way of racing because we want to have fun, we want to have fun.
Finally, Stella believes that Verstappen’s faulty maneuver undoubtedly deprived the spectators of an even more interesting end to the race, even if it must be remembered that Norris himself had received a five-second penalty for non-compliance. track limits. “Even if Lando had passed Max, it was possible that Max, with the effect of the DRS which is very important, would be in a position to attack Lando again.”
“Actually, I think we were robbed of a pretty exciting finish to the race because I’m not sure Lando would have been able to escape. I think the fight would have continued all the way to the checkered flag. C It’s a shame, we’ll never know.”
With Alex Kalinauckas
