Lando Norris has revealed whether he has spoken to Max Verstappen in the aftermath of their spat at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The pair collided in the final six laps of the race at the Red Bull Ring after Norris tried to overtake Verstappen on the outside of Turn 3. The Dutchman moved over on Norris in the braking zone, causing the pair to make contact with their rear wheels.
Norris could be heard over team radio frantically calling out Verstappen’s manuveres as “dangerous” in a bid to get the attention of the stewards.
While Verstappen could continue after pitting to replace his punctured tyres, Norris had inflicted too much damage on his McLaren and was forced to retire from the race.
The pair reportedly did not look at each other in the media pen after the race, with both taking a defensive stance on their actions and Norris remarking that he expected an apology otherwise he would ‘lose a lot of respect’ for his rival.
Has Lando Norris and Max Verstappen cleared the air?
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner does not believe there is “any issue” between the pair and expects Norris to change his approach to racing Verstappen, as it is likely they will be battling on the same piece of tarmac again in the near future.
According to the BBC, Norris addressed the McLaren factory after the race where he confirmed he had been in contact with the Dutchman and intends to do so again to clear any overhanging problems.
“We’ve texted,” said Norris. “We’re going to have a chat, of course, because I think it’s the correct thing to do. But apart from that, what we talk about and how things go is between us.”
Max Verstappen set for heated battle with Lando Norris
The British Grand Prix will be the next opportunity for Verstappen and Norris to battle on track, where it is expected that McLaren will be competitive again.
Both drivers would benefit massively from having the support of their teammates backing them up, but so far Oscar Piastri has made a few mistakes in qualifying that have put him further down the grid on race days.
Sergio Perez has endured a tough spell of races since being resigned by Red Bull, having failed to finish inside the top five since the Miami Grand Prix. While he sustained significant damage on the opening lap of Austria that put him on the back foot, he must improve his qualifying performances to avoid getting caught up in needless first-lap incidents.
With the home support at Silverstone likely putting their backing behind Norris, they will be hoping the Briton can mount a challenge to Verstappen and become the 12th different driver from the UK to win the British GP.
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