Friendships in Formula One and racing in general are always tentative. You can have a best friend in turn one and have a mortal enemy by turn two and friends again by turn three. Relationships personal and professional are often two different things, however in the Formula One World the younger generation all grew up together Max Verstappen, Charles LeClerc, Lando Norris, and George Russell all went through the ranks of Formula Racing dating back to cart racing.
Formula One’s Rivalry At a Fever Pitch
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After Lando Norris had chased down Max Verstappen, Norris was frantically trying to pass the three-time defending Formula One world champion. Norris would send the car in deep into turns one, three, and four. He continually attempted to use the drag reduction system a slit that opens in the rear wing making the car faster in the straights. Verstappen would move late in the turn to block Norris’s lunge.
Racing math tells us that late moving under braking plus aggressive lunges equals broken hearts. On lap 64 of 71 in turn three the math rang true. Verstappen and Norris made contact in turn three giving both leaders punctures in the Pirelli tires. Third place George Russell was 15 seconds back and was able to take advantage of the extreme aggressiveness from the leaders to go on and get the second victory of his Formula One career.
Norris was forced to retire the car while Verstappen was able to nurse the car back around and salvage a fifth-place finish. Verstappen was penalized 10 seconds for the incident but was still able to keep his running position of fifth.
The Aftermath
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After what could be a defining moment in the Formula One Season and seasons moving forward many people in the paddock had an opinion on the contact between the Red Bull and McLaren. Norris the media-appointed victim of the exchange said:
He was doing things you’re not allowed to do and not getting penalized. I expect a tough battle against Max. I know what to expect. I expect aggression and pushing the limits and that kind of thing. All three times he’s doing stuff that can easily cause an incident. And in a way just a bit reckless – he seemed like a little bit desperate from his side.
Doesn’t need to be, he’s got plenty of wins. But a bit desperate to do what he could to not let me pass and I know it’s going to be aggressive So like I’m in a way not surprised, but I just expected a tough, fair, respectful on the edge bit of racing and I don’t feel like that’s what I got him into.
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella Told Sky Sports F1:
I see it as the entire population in the world will know who is responsible, expect for a group of people, the problem behind it is that if you don’t address these things honestly, they will come back. They have come back today because they were not addressed properly in the past when there was some fights with Lewis that needed to be punished in a harsher way. You learn now to race in a certain way, which we can consider fair and square.
Max Verstappen told the Formula One media after the Race:
I think the move that we got together was something that I didn’t expect because I saw him coming, of course. So I defend a little the inside, and then under braking, we touch with the rear tires, and we both get a puncture from it which, of course, is something that you don’t want to happen.
Lando did tell the media that the friendship between Verstappen and himself could be repaired if Max apologized however it looks like Max hasn’t done that but Redbull has fired back at Norris. Helmut Marko Red Bull’s driver director told German outlet OE24:
Norris’s behavior on the radio was pathetic, But things like that happen and I would write it off as a racing accident, although Norris was more likely to have overstepped the mark.
Final Thoughts On Verstappen and Norris
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Max has continued to build his points lead even though he hasn’t had the fastest car. He won at Imola even though the fastest car was Norris, He won at Canada even though Russell and Norris were the faster than Verstappen and he won in Barcelona when Norris was running him down in the closing stages.
The difference is this time Lando caught Max and we saw Norris dive into the corners at the end of the long straights. Verstappen was moving under braking which is a grey area because most cases you can make one move but the second move the Formula One stewards will get involved.
This was in the making of a crash to take each other out was going to happen Max is incredibly aggressive that type of driving style does not change. Norris was dive bombing into the corners and that is equally as aggressive and more dangerous on older tires. Norris deserves more of the blame because it was Norris pushing the envelope even with a five-second penalty coming for track limits.
Sergio Perez Continues His Hiatus From the Front
Sergio Perez has continued to be nowhere to be found at the front. Perez was more than a minute behind the leaders at the time of the contact between his teammate and Norris. Even though Verstappen had to limp around the track, pit, and a ten-second penalty Perez still finished behind his teammate.
Red Bull’s loyalty to the lone Mexican driver in Formula One has not paid dividends since they renewed his deal. Perez hasn’t finished on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix in April. Calls for his seat are only going to grow louder and louder as Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes have two drivers who are consistently battling for the podium. The Formula One driver’s title may be safe but the Formula One constructors championship race is slowly heating up.
About The Author
Dillon Hildreth is a writer for Total Apex and a lifelong fan of Football with his favorite teams being the New England Patriots and the Georgia Bulldogs. Dillon is also a fan of Motorsports Red Bull in Formula One and William Byron in NASCAR. You can catch Dillon Stream F1, NASCAR, and other video games and side casts on Twitch.
