Lando Norris showed a change of heart after saying Max Verstappen does not need to apologise following their collision at last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Lando Norris has said he regrets his outburst against Max Verstappen as the two drivers reconciled their friendship following their dramatic crash at the 2024 F1 Austrian Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver had to abandon the race on Lap 64 after he and Verstappen clashed while attempting to overtake on the outside of Turn 3 during Sunday’s race at Red Bull Ring.
The stewards handed the reigning world champion a 10-second penalty for triggering the incident that resulted in punctures for both cars. However, the Red Bull driver managed to nurse his car back to the pits, switch to fresh tyres and proceed to finish fifth while Norris’s car sustained significant damage to continue.
Meanwhile, George Russell capitalised on their setbacks to claim a shock victory for Mercedes.
A furious Norris went on to criticize Verstappen’s driving after the race, branding his maneuvers “reckless” and claiming that he moved under braking, which is against the rules. However ahead of the British Grand Prix, the Brit took back his initial remarks on the Dutchman in an effort to peacefully resolve the heated exchange.
“I think some of the things I said in the [media] pen after the race were just more because I was frustrated at times,” Norris told the press at Silverstone.
“A lot of adrenaline, a lot of emotions, and I probably said some things I didn’t necessarily believe in, especially later on in the week.”
The clash seemed to be unavoidable after Norris made several attempts to get past the title leader, only pulling off one overtake before the Dutchman quickly passed him using DRS.
Norris admitted that the incident’s aftermath was the main cause of his frustration, as it cost him 18 crucial points in the drivers’ standings.
“It was a pretty pathetic incident in terms of what ended both our races,” he added. “It wasn’t a hit, it wasn’t an obvious bit of contact.
“It was the probably the one of the smallest bits of contact you could have, but with a pretty terrible consequence for both of us, especially for myself.”
The two, who are close friends away from racing, contacted each other on Monday and Wednesday to make sure they were in good terms, as Norris later disclosed. However, the 24-year-old insisted Verstappen did not have to apologise for the move that ended his race.
“[Verstappen] doesn’t need to [apologise],” Norris insisted. “I don’t expect an apology from him, I don’t think he should apologise.
“I thought it was, as a review, good racing. A tense move and very close to the edge. But like we said, we’ve spoken about it. We’ve talked about it and we’re both happy to go racing again.”
