Lando Norris says he not believes Max Verstappen must apologize to him for the contact between the pair that ended his race within the Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen was given a 10-second time penalty for inflicting a collision after drifting left into Norris on his exterior underneath braking for Flip 3 on the Pink Bull Ring, a nook that had seen the pair battling for a lot of laps. Norris was sad with the way in which Verstappen was defending and on the time stated he felt he didn’t get a good combat, and that any talks would want initiating with an apology from the Dutchman. On arrival on the British Grand Prix, nevertheless, he modified his stance.
“Actually, I don’t suppose he wanted to apologize,” Norris stated. “I feel like among the issues I stated within the pen after the race was extra as a result of I used to be pissed off on the time. Quite a lot of adrenaline and feelings, and I most likely stated some issues I didn’t essentially consider in, particularly in a while within the week.
“It was powerful. It was a fairly pathetic incident, by way of what ended each of our races. It wasn’t like a success, it wasn’t like an apparent little bit of contact. It was most likely one of many smallest bits of contact you’ll be able to have, however with a fairly horrible consequence for each of us, particularly for myself.
“Yeah, he does’t must. I don’t count on an apology from him — I don’t suppose he ought to apologize. I believed it was, as a evaluation, good racing. At occasions, possibly very near the sting, however we’ve spoken about it and we’re each blissful to go racing once more.”
Norris does, nevertheless, need the FIA to clamp down on strikes underneath braking.
“I feel it was nonetheless very clear that it was occurring,” he stated, referring to shifting underneath braking. “It’s a difficult one. Max isn’t going to wish to crash — he’s not going to wish to smash his personal race or his personal possibilities. So I feel sure, there are undoubtedly issues I must do barely otherwise. I don’t suppose he’s going to vary an excessive amount of; I don’t suppose I’m going to vary a lot.
“May we have now averted the crash? Undoubtedly. Is there one thing I may have executed? I simply may have used extra curb. However there’s issues from each side that I’m positive we needed to do higher or in a barely totally different approach.
“On the entire, avoiding an incident from shifting underneath braking is the most important a part of it. There may very simply be an incident that comes from such a factor, and I feel if something to be very cautious of, it’s one thing that might occur.
“In order that’s simply one thing for the long run that the stewards and FIA want to pay attention to, that one thing may simply go incorrect. So I feel to a sure level, you’re defending, you’re being aggressive, and that’s OK. However there’ll be a degree when there’s a restrict, and I feel that simply must be outlined in a barely higher approach.”
McLaren crew principal Andrea Stella claimed the battle with Verstappen led to incidents that might have been averted if addressed throughout the 2021 title battle that additionally concerned Lewis Hamilton, and whereas Hamilton disagreed with Stella’s feedback, Norris backed his boss.
“I’m positive Lewis would agree with it two years in the past or three years in the past! 100%,” he stated. “There have been undoubtedly a couple of moments particularly. I feel Andrea’s received an excellent quantity of sensibility with the issues he talks about.
“Sure issues are all the time totally different whenever you’re a bit of bit extra within the second… however on the entire, I agree with what Andrea says.”
