\n<\/p>\n
How much will the crash in the closing laps of the Austrian GP affect the way Max Verstappen and Lando Norris now race each other? \u2013 Ruairidh<\/b><\/p>\n
The intensity of the battle between Verstappen and Norris in Austria was caused by Verstappen\u2019s style of racing – he pushes things to the limit of acceptability.<\/p>\n
\u2018Moving under braking\u2019 – or changing one\u2019s line when in the braking phase while defending – is a no-no in F1, because of the dangers involved when a driver is attacking from behind and is forced to change his trajectory to avoid a crash when already braking on the limit. Norris accused Verstappen of doing this in Austria but Verstappen denied it.<\/p>\n
After the race, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella drew a direct line between this incident and the controversial battles between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in 2021, when many of the other drivers thought Verstappen had, at times, broken the rules. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem behind it,\u201d Stella said, \u201cis that if you don\u2019t address these things honestly, then they come back. They came back today because they were not addressed properly in the past when there were some fights with Lewis that needed to be punished in a harsher way.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou learn now to race in a certain way that you can consider fair and square.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have so much respect for Red Bull and for Max. They don\u2019t need to do this. It\u2019s a way to almost compromise your reputation. Why would you do that?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about racing in a driver\u2019s way. It\u2019s about racing in the regulations, and the regulations must be enforced in a way that is effective.\u201d<\/p>\n
Verstappen says he has not done anything wrong and described his 10-second penalty on Sunday as a bit severe.<\/p>\n
Until he starts getting consistently punished for the way he races, Verstappen won\u2019t change – and perhaps not even then. And why should he, one could argue?<\/p>\n
The question for Norris, then, is how to deal with that? <\/p>\n<\/div>\n