
The recent clash between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the Austrian Grand Prix has stirred up debates about Verstappen’s driving style and maturity, similar to the controversies during his 2021 season against Lewis Hamilton.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella pointed out, “If you don’t address these things honestly, they will come back. They have come back today because past incidents with Lewis weren’t punished harshly enough. Verstappen acted this way because of how he’s been allowed to drive in the past.”
Even hours after the clash, Verstappen claimed, “I honestly think I did leave a car’s width on the white line.” This behavior echoes his early F1 tactics, which led to the ‘Verstappen rule’.
Since 2021, F1 has made rule changes to clarify what’s allowed, like banning Verstappen’s restart tactics from Abu Dhabi 2021, Bahrain, and Jeddah 2022. These changes led to Verstappen being blamed for the Norris crash, but McLaren believes more needs to be done about his defensive driving.
Norris also pushed track limits at Turn 3 and Turn 1, but he adjusted his driving while Verstappen didn’t. Verstappen’s unyielding nature hasn’t changed. The lack of punishment in 2021 only reinforced his aggressive style. Sunday’s incident showed that he still sends clear messages on the track.
For instance, in Japan 2023, Verstappen denied sending a message after Red Bull’s tough race in Singapore, but Christian Horner revealed he was fired up to win by 20 seconds.
Verstappen had a 69-point lead over Norris and didn’t need to defend so aggressively. Yet, his driving towards Hamilton in early 2021, like other controversial F1 greats Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, was about sending a message. Norris has learned to fight back just as hard, something he’s had to do given his position in the 2024 title race.
This incident challenges the idea that Verstappen has been more mature since 2021, as Horner suggested in 2022. Verstappen knew he had the best car in 2022, so he didn’t need to be as aggressive, not because he had changed.
This argument was always weak. Verstappen called George Russell a “d***head” for racing aggressively in Baku 2022. Then in Brazil 2022, he crashed with Hamilton again and refused to help Sergio Perez in the standings, showing his unchanged nature. Verstappen’s reaction to the Austrian GP pitstop mistake and his focus on the track layout’s controversial tactics show his quickness to point out his team’s flaws.
GPS data shows Verstappen braking later than Norris in all but their first clash, suggesting he was moving before braking. The important part is how this impacted Norris in the braking zone.
The FIA failed to act after Brazil 2021, prioritizing spectacle over sporting fairness. If they don’t act now, Norris has shown he won’t back down, leading to more future clashes.
For some, this is exciting; for others, it’s frustrating.