Lando Norris is still noticeably behind Max Verstappen in the individual rankings, but on the circuit between the McLaren and Red Bull Racing drivers a fierce rivalry for victories has already developed, which sooner or later had to lead to complications. This is exactly what happened a week ago in Austria and became one of the main topics of conversation outside the circuit.
McLaren Racing Executive Director Zak Brown has already become involved in this process.
“I think it was just a matter of time, and now we’ve seen these two riders go head to head,” he reasoned while speaking to reporters. “It’s a shame that it all ended like this, of course, even though there was very little contact between the machines.”
But I believe that now, when we look at what happened that weekend – and I think we should – we see the need to invest more in the jury organisation, so that there is more consistency and the enforcement of the rules is more effective. And the FIA agrees with that.
I believe that when stewards temporarily fill this difficult role, they have a very difficult time, especially at Formula 1 level. In the confrontation between Max and Lando, as you would expect, it simply came down to forceful techniques, but so far no one has explained to Max that this is outside the rules, he will not change his approach.
I also think the stewards missed an opportunity to get involved. Furthermore, the management of Red Bull Racing, although they are a great team, to my disappointment they almost encourage all this – we heard what was said on the radio at the time.
We, who are on the pit wall, are responsible for what we say to our drivers during the Grand Prix and instruct them what to do and what not to do. I think we should always follow the rules, but we see examples where their requirements are not respected – we can talk about financial regulations, about sport, about regulating the relations with the parents of racers.
I just think that this should not happen in motorsport, so we need to explain to the drivers what they can and cannot do. And if this had been done in time, maybe such an incident would not have happened. I think this could have been avoided if the team management and the stewards had been more careful in enforcing the rules.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
