Verstappen accuses Norris of showing him a lack of 'respect' at Suzuka
Max Verstappen accuses Lando Norris of showing him a lack of ‘respect’ for incident that saw the Red Bull star receive a reprimand… as the McLaren driver who was forced off the track says he would get a penalty if he did the same thing
- Max Verstappen took pole for the Japanese Grand Prix by 0.010 seconds
- The Red Bull star received a reprimand for an incident with Lando Norris
- Verstappen was warming his tyres and forced Norris to take avoiding action
- The Dutchman feels though that Norris showed him a lack of ‘respect’
- Norris feels that Verstappen should be handy a penalty for his actions
Max Verstappen has accused Lando Norris of showing him a lack of ‘respect’ for overtaking him during qualifying, in an incident that had the pole-sitting Dutchman and the McLaren star under investigation.
Verstappen, who took pole in a thrilling Suzuka qualifying, was trying to warm up his tyres as he slowly moved through Turn 15.
Norris, who was on the inside racing line, had already built up his speed heading in to a short straight before the chicane and as he zoomed past, Verstappen almost collided when he turned in to the left.
Max Verstappen has accused Lando Norris of showing him a lack of ‘respect’ in qualifying
Verstappen was warming up his tyres when a fast approaching Norris was closing up to him
Verstappen lost the rear and forced the McLaren driver to take to the grass to avoid a collsion
In the end Verstappen received nothing more than a reprimand, ensuring he kept his fifth pole position of the season.
‘We were on our outlap and we were all lining up to create a gap to everyone and then somehow he still wanted to get me into the chicane, but I was on the point of accelerating and I was on very cold tyres, so I had a little moment and that’s why he had to drive around me,’ Verstappen said in his defence.
‘But if he had just a bit more respect for me, because everyone is anyway lining up and I don’t think anyone is trying to pass into that last chicane, so by trying to pass me you create that kind of thing.’
Verstappen, who had little time to celebrate his fifth pole position of the year given the investigation looming over him, was quickly backed up by Red Bull boss Christian Horner who claimed Norris violated a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ not to overtake on that area of the track.
‘They both were on outlaps and there is a gentleman’s agreement between the drivers that when you get to that part of the circuit that you hold position and you file through the last corner one by one,’ an insistent Horner said.
’So, Lando decided that he wants to jump the queue as they head up to that final chicane.
Norris said he would get a penalty if he did the same thing as what title-leader Verstappen did
‘They were following each other around the lap until that point. I don’t think (Max) expected it. He was warming the tyres up to start the lap. They go one-by-one through the chicane.’
Article 33.4 of the sporting regulations – which will now be interpreted by the stewards – state: ‘At no time may a car be driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or in a manner which could be deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers or any other person.’
Unsurprisingly Norris was unequivocal in that he expects Verstappen to be punished ‘for sure’ for what he and McLaren viewed as dangerous driving – saying that he would get a penalty if he did the same thing as the Dutchman.
‘It was quite clear he tried to do that, yeah,’ Norris said when asked if Verstappen was aggressively defending position.
’There’s no rule on what you can do, but doing what he did is something that you cannot do.
’People always overtake before the last corner, as much as everyone always agrees to it, everyone always does it, so it doesn’t matter.
‘He probably would have done the same if he was in my situation, but I wouldn’t have swerved at him if I was in his situation.’
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