McLaren chief executive Zak Brown has accused Red Bull of failing to respect Formula 1’s regulations following the Austrian Grand Prix crash between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
The pair collided with eight laps to go as the faster McLaren of Norris attempted to pass Verstappen’s Red Bull for the lead, with the incident leading to the former’s retirement from Sunday’s race and forcing the latter into a pit stop that would result in him finishing fifth.
Following the stewards’ decision to give Verstappen a 10-second penalty for causing the collision, Norris was highly critical of his friend and rival immediately after the race, before backtracking on his demands for an apology when facing the media on Thursday at this weekend’s British Grand Prix.
Brown, who wasn’t in Austria, faced the media at Silverstone, after Norris topped first practice on Friday, was critical of both the race stewards and his Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner for not taking action that may have reduced Verstappen’s aggression as the battle reached boiling point.
“Max and Lando were just duking it out as you’d expect them to do, and until someone tells Max, ‘hey, that’s against the regulations,’ he’s not going to know any different,” Brown said. “So I think there were missed opportunities for the stewards to make note.
“Also disappointed that such a great team like Red Bull, the leadership almost encourages it. Because you listen on the radio to what was said. We all have a responsibility on pit wall to tell our drivers the dos and don’ts of what’s going on in the race.”
Brown, who has previously engaged in fierce exchanges with Horner through the media, then referenced Red Bull’s breach of F1’s financial regulations in 2021 and the Red Bull boss’ ongoing feud with Jos Verstappen, the father of his star driver.
“So I think we need to have respect for regulations,” he continued. “And we’ve seen there be lack of respect, whether it’s financial regulations, or sporting on track, issues with fathers and things of that nature.
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Max Verstappen says he was ‘really upset’ by his collision with Lando Norris and insists they have the same opinion on racing each other hard and will continue to do so
“I just don’t think that’s how we need to go racing and we need to guide our drivers on what’s right or wrong. And I think had it been addressed earlier, maybe that incident wouldn’t have taken place. So, a racing incident that I think could have been avoided if the pit wall and the stewards had maybe been more on top of what the regulations say you can and can’t do.”
Asked if he had any interest in discussing the situation with Horner, Brown responded: “That’s the FIA’s role. I don’t really have any interest in speaking with Christian.”
Brown: Verstappen hasn’t gained psychological advantage
The pain of the incident for McLaren was exacerbated by the ultimate outcome being Verstappen extending his lead over Norris at the top of the drivers’ standings to 81 points.
Some in the paddock at Silverstone, including Sky Sports F1‘s Martin Brundle, have questioned whether Norris has given up a psychological edge to Verstappen by backing down from his initially critical position.
Brown is adamant that Norris, who claimed his maiden F1 victory in Miami in May, has not given ground to the three-time world champion.
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Lewis Hamilton refuses to comment over what he thought of the Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collision in Austria
“No, I don’t think so at all,” Brown said. “Show me a world champion and I think ruthless and aggressive will be two good descriptions of any world champion or grand prix-winning driver.
“I think Lando wants to move on from last weekend. Some people might enjoy a public spat. They have a strong relationship off the track. They spoke. What they spoke about is between them.
“From what I saw, they both want to move on and get back to racing each other real hard on track.”
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Lando Norris says Max Verstappen does not need to apologise for their crash in Austria and believes it was a ‘pathetic’ incident that ended both their races
Despite only recently having been given a car to regularly compete for victories, Norris has become perhaps the most popular of F1’s young stars, in parts thanks to his laid-back and friendly nature off track.
Norris’ ‘nice-guy’ reputation has also been a topic of discussion following his comments on Thursday, but Brown says he has no concerns about the Brit being “too nice”.
“I’m very happy with Lando,” he said. “There’s a difference between what a racing driver is like when the helmet goes on and the visor goes down and what they are like Monday to Thursday, how they communicate, and the relationships that they have.
“A lot of world champions, sweethearts outside the race car but pretty fierce once the helmet goes on, and Lando’s no different.”
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The F1 paddock give their view on the controversial collision between McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in Austria ahead of the British Grand Prix
Horner: Max-Lando incident started in Spain
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 on Friday before the press conference in which Brown featured, Horner said that he felt the incident between Verstappen and Norris had begun a week earlier at the Spanish Grand Prix.
At the opening race of F1’s European triple-header that is concluding at Silverstone, pole-sitter Norris forced Verstappen off track at the start as the McLaren driver tried and failed to keep the Red Bull behind him.
While neither Verstappen nor Norris had talked about the Spanish Grand Prix start in reference to what occurred in Austria, Horner said he believes the two were related.
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On the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Damon Hill discusses the Max Verstappen and Lando Norris clash that stole a chance of victory from both
“For me, that incident started a week earlier on the run down to Turn One at Barcelona where Lando had him on the grass,” Horner said.
“You are seeing they are starting to get feisty. These guys are racing each other and racing hard throughout their careers.
“You know what Max is like. He will fight for every inch of tarmac. I’m sure Lando will learn from that and Max too.”
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Watch new angles of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris’ collision and aftermath which cost them both the lead at the Austrian Grand Prix
Horner expects no let up from either driver with Red Bull and McLaren set to be closely matched once more this weekend.
“It’s hard racing between the two of them,” he added. “They have spoken about it and obviously it’s been rowed back a bit from where Lando’s position was, understandably, following the emotion after the race.
“I’m sure we are going to see more hard racing between the two of them over the second half of the year. You learn from it and move on.”
Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments throughout the years at the British Grand Prix
Saturday July 6
9.15am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: British GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: British GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: British GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday July 7
8:15am: F3 Feature Race
9:50am: F2 Feature Race
11:50am: Porsche Supercup
1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up
3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook
F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime