Horner asserts that Norris must master F1 racing against Verstappen. Meanwhile, Max anticipates a hostile reception at Silverstone this weekend.
Make no mistake: there will be no questioning at Red Bull after the Austrian Grand Prix. Christian Horner, the team principal, staunchly defends Max Verstappen’s on-track behavior – despite his ten-second penalty for maneuvers that led to Lando Norris’s retirement at the Red Bull Ring.
Christian Horner didn’t use words as strong as Helmut Marko, who described Lando Norris’s on-track attitude as “pathetic”.
However, Horner, always keen to show solidarity with Max Verstappen, suggested that Lando Norris mainly lacked experience against Max.
“I understand they (Max and Lando) have already talked, I don’t think there’s a problem.”
“Certainly, from Max’s side, he’s not going to change.”
“There’s a point to consider: Lando is learning to drive and race against Max, and they are discovering that.”
“Inevitably, there will be tighter races between them, as the cars seem very close in the upcoming races.”
“Max is a fierce racer – he’s probably one of the toughest drivers on the circuit, and everyone knows that if you race against Max, he’s going to give his best.”
McLaren F1 boss Andrea Stella felt Max Verstappen wasn’t punished enough for his overly aggressive maneuvers, especially after the epic 2021 season against Lewis Hamilton.
But for Christian Horner, these are of course unfair comments: Max Verstappen has no immunity…
“He raced incredibly hard in 2021, he’s a tough racer, and he hasn’t really raced against anyone for the past two years because he’s been so far ahead…”
“The conflict between Lando and Max has built over two, three, four races where they fought closely and hard. At some point, it was bound to erupt – and it did in the battle at Turn 3.”
“Max was penalized in 2021 if he did something wrong, just like Lewis, with whom he raced so hard that year. They were punished for what they did wrong.”
“I think it’s wrong and unfair to label a driver like that, and I’m sure in the heat of the moment… it was frustrating for Andrea, but it’s just hard racing.”
“Andrea worked with Michael Schumacher [at Ferrari] for many years – he should know.”
So, despite the FIA penalty, nothing changes: the Silverstone stewards are warned!
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Verstappen Faces Hostile Reception at Silverstone Weekend Verstappen Faces Hostile Reception at Silverstone Weekend
