Lando Norris: “I got taken out” | Friends with Max Verstappen? “It depends…”

Lando Norris has described his clash with Max Verstappen as “reckless” and a “little bit desperate” at the F1 Austrian Grand Prix.

After an intense number of laps battling, Verstappen and Norris collided on the approach to Turn 3.

Verstappen moved slightly left in the braking zone, causing contact in the process.

As a result, both drivers picked up punctures and were forced into the pit lane.

While Verstappen was able to continue albeit with a 10-second time penalty, Norris retired from the race.

It’s the first flashpoint between Verstappen and Norris, who have often been first and second over the last 12 months.

Reflecting on the battle, Norris said: “I know what to expect. I expect aggression and pushing the limits and that kind of thing, but all three times he’s doing stuff that can easily cause an incident, and in the way it’s just a bit reckless.

“It seemed like a little bit desperate from his side, doesn’t need to be, he’s got plenty of wins, but a bit desperate to do what he could to not let me past. I know he’s going to be aggressive so I’m in a way not surprise.

“I just expected a tough, fair, respectful on the edge bit of racing, and I don’t feel like that’s what I got.”

Norris refused to take any blame for the incident.

He added: “I don’t think I need to change anything I’m doing, I was on the edge of the track, I don’t know what else I’m able to do, he’s always a bit like that, but I respect Max a lot.

“There’s times where I think he goes a little bit too far, little bit of that, at the same time these things happen, I’m disappointed it ruined the race, destroyed the car, in terms of upgrades and budget caps and that, so the car s destroyed and these are bits we need for next week.

“It's not just a repercussion of things that happen on track it’s now what we carry into Silverstone and be disadvantaged by, yeah, just expected a bit more from him.”

Norris' DNF means Verstappen has extended his lead in the F1 drivers' championship to 81 points.

The British driver ultimately feels he was "taken out of the race" after delivering an "error-free" grand prix.

“I don’t know what to say," he told Sky. “Disappointed. Nothing more than that, honestly. It was a good race. I looked forward to a fair battle. A strong, fair battle. I wouldn’t say that’s what it was, in the end. Tough one to take. It was a mistake-free race from my side. I felt like I did a good job.”

“I got taken out of the race. Nothing more than that. 

Another layer to the crash is Verstappen and Norris’ close friendship.

The pair view each other as their close friends in the paddock, but clashes like today will only make things more tense.

Norris conceded that Verstappen’s reaction to the incident will determine whether they remain good friends or not.

“I don’t know. It depends what he says. If he says that he did nothing wrong, then I will lose a lot of respect for that," he explained.

“If he admits to being a bit stupid and running into me, and being a bit reckless in a way, then I’d have a small amount of respect for it. But it’s still a tough one to take, fighting for the win.

“I am trying to be fair from my side. And he just wasn’t.”