A week after his collision at the Austrian Grand Prix with Max Verstappen (Red Bull) while trying to steal first place, Lando Norris (McLaren) will try to take his revenge in front of his home crowd this weekend at Silverstone.
On one of the most legendary circuits of the Formula 1 season, the Briton, who had to retire at the Red Bull Ring while the triple world champion had managed to finish 5ewill want to confirm the progress of the papaya single-seaters which continue to get closer to Red Bull.
The two drivers, very close off the track, played it cool on Thursday before the British Grand Prix which will close the first half of the season.
Norris, who had said in the heat of the moment on Sunday that Verstappen had perhaps gone “a bit too far” and that his move was “thoughtless”, backtracked on Thursday. “There was adrenaline and emotion and I probably said things I didn’t mean. I don’t think he needs to apologise, I said some things because I was frustrated,” he said at a press conference.
In front of several dozen journalists, Verstappen also wanted to downplay this clash which has caused a lot of ink to flow.
Mercedes wants to confirm, Ferrari to recover
“It was a very small touch that had big consequences for both of us. We spoke again on Monday and came to the conclusion that we had loved our fight. We like to race hard between us. Whether it’s in F1 or online [jeu sur simulateur]where we often have big battles while having fun, we must continue like this because we like it and it is good for F1,” said the Dutchman during a press briefing.
“The only thing that matters to me is maintaining my relationship with Lando because we are very good friends,” concluded “Mad Max.”
Beyond this duel, which could be refereed by the Australian Oscar Piastri, the talented second McLaren driver, two other teams will be eagerly awaited in England, starting with Mercedes, who won an unexpected victory in Austria last weekend thanks to the Briton George Russell who took advantage of the collision between Verstappen and Norris.
“Our recent improvements achieved through the hard work of the team have allowed us to get closer to the best and to be able to capitalise on this opportunity that has presented itself. We want to continue this good run and aim for other victories. This weekend will be tight at the front and we hope for another podium,” explained Toto Wolff, Mercedes boss.
Ferrari will also want to return to the forefront after struggling for the past month. “I think our new features are good, but now we need to extract all the potential from them,” explained Frédéric Vasseur, Scuderia director.
“We don’t yet have the magic solution to all our problems so I don’t expect to fight for victory this weekend. We will have to find the right compromise,” predicted the Monegasque Charles Leclerc.