Lando Norris at Silverstone, revenge in sight

The tension will be palpable this weekend at the Silverstone circuit, site of the British Grand Prix.

Michael Schumacher had already said it: To be world champion, you have to be merciless towards your opponents. Lando Norris learned this the hard way in Austria.

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris together will be the driving force behind the 2024 season, which until the Miami Grand Prix, when the Briton won, looked very predictable.

Even George Russell’s unexpected victory at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday was overshadowed.

Until this weekend, Verstappen and Norris were enjoying their duels, direct or at a distance. They could be seen chatting amiably as they got out of their cars. Verstappen did not feel threatened by the McLaren driver.

However, since Miami, Norris has not let go: he regularly climbs onto the podiums.

On Sunday, the good understanding was shattered. In Spielberg, Verstappen showed what he can do when the cold becomes more biting. Norris was trapped by the world champion in his third attempt to take the lead.

He should have been wary after the second, but his relative inexperience in tight duels blinded him, as did the sprint race the day before. He had tried twice to surprise the Red Bull driver on the inside, without success. So he chose to surprise him on the outside.

Did he really think Verstappen would give him the space he needed?

The Briton had surprised him on the inside the day before in the sprint race. The Dutchman had avoided him by cutting his trajectory, and had regained his property a few meters further thanks to the DRS.

But in a sprint race, held on Saturday, the teams don’t want any damage. The drivers are warned. The sprint race is for show. There are only eight points to be won, but many more to be lost on Sunday if the car has suffered damage in a collision.

Verstappen reminded his opponents on Sunday of the risk they take in attacking him. Either it’s a collision, or it’s going off the track to avoid it.

To exonerate himself, the Dutchman explained that he always approaches a bend in a slightly wide trajectory and then negotiates the bend in the most direct way possible.

Very well, but in this specific case, he knew that Norris was there. This explanation, if it is the one he gave to the race direction, did not convince anyone, and he was penalized with an addition of 10 seconds to his classification at the finish.

You have to have a good eye – or the experience of having lived it – to tell that he swerved to his right to block the McLaren. Two former drivers, now analysts for British television, Martin Brundle and Damon Hill saw it. And they know what they are talking about.

Put on the spot after the race, Verstappen then chose to blame his team’s poor work in the race. First, poor strategy: too much traffic at the end of the first stint should have prompted the team to pit him, then poor execution with two missed pit stops at the end of which he says he lost six seconds.

These rare wanderings from Red Bull put him on the defensive, and as Norris found on track, made him more nervous in his driving.

Lando Norris would have liked Verstappen to take the blame, or even apologize. That’s not knowing him well, says the trade press. However, he has already done it in the past… when he knew he was wrong.

Was it in Spielberg? What if Norris had been more patient? Was it the right place to try another overtake? Race control mentioned it when explaining in its decision that Verstappen had been involved in the incident mostly at fault.

The Dutchman knows that in Austria he won the fight, regardless of whether he is to blame or not.

He sent the message he wanted to Lando Norris, and the 10-second penalty did not change his result. He was able to score some points with his 5th place, while his rival had to retire.

Will the two men speak before Friday’s first free practice at Silverstone? Why would Verstappen? He said it, without saying it: let the dust settle…

In Austria, Verstappen was on his home turf, in the land of Red Bull. This weekend, at Silverstone, Norris will be on his home turf, in the land of McLaren.

The boxing match changes rings this weekend. There will still be dust in the air full of the paddock, fatigue too, because the teams will be competing in a third grand prix in three weeks.

The risk of making mistakes will be high, the pressure on both sides will be even higher, and the Briton will have a taste of revenge in his mouth.

A godsend for F1.