From a near-certain race victory to the aftermath of a crash. No wonder there’s frustration.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has conceded to frustration after witnessing Max Verstappen lose a near-certain Austrian Grand Prix victory following a late crash with Lando Norris.
Verstappen was in total control of the race until a slow pit stop at the end of lap 51 which allowed McLaren’s Norris to erase a seven-second deficit and challenge for the lead in the laps that followed.
Norris made three attempts into Turn 3, complaining after two of them that Verstappen was moving under braking before another crack on lap 64 culminated in a collision that led to punctures on both cars.
Verstappen managed to return to the pits for fresh rubber but was handed a 10-second penalty for causing a collision en route to finishing fifth. Norris, however, retired in the pits due to additional damage to his car.
Reflecting on what unfolded between the pair, speaking to Sky Sports F1, Horner said: “It [the pit stop] didn’t lose us the race but it put us in a compromised position.
“For me, it looked like there was enough space up there for Lando. He’d already had the violation with the four strikes of track limits.”
That was referring to the fact that one of Norris’ attempts to overtake led to him exceeding track limits, which was his fourth infringement and with it a five-second time penalty.
“It [the accident] was one of those things, and we’ll bounce back next weekend,” added Horner.
“[They are] Hard racers. Lando got his elbows out, and there’d been contact before with them. In the end, it cost both of them.”
