Lando Norris Takes Back Statements After Max Verstappen Incident

Norris said the heat of the moment produced statements he no longer believes in.

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; McLaren driver driver Lando Norris (GBR) in the pit lane during the practice session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Lando Norris had heated comments for Max Verstappen after the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend which resulted in the two cars making contact and Norris retiring from the race. Verstappen finished first.

"If he said he did nothing wrong, then I'd lose a lot of respect for that," Norris said on Sunday. The incident sparked plenty of controversy and cheeky interactions on social media.

Now, though, Norris has walked some of his opinions on the incident back.

"I don't think [Verstappen] needed to apologize," Norris said on Thursday. "I think some of the things I said in the pen after the race were just more because I was frustrated at [the] time, a lot of adrenaline, a lot of just emotions. And I probably said some things I didn't necessarily believe in, especially later on in the week."

"Have you and Max spoken since last Sunday?"

Over to you, Lando 😃#F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/aIPldVrbZb

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 4, 2024

Norris went on to reflect on the incident and the magnitude of it relative to how it felt immediately after the race.

"It wasn't like a hit, it wasn't like an obvious bit of contact, it was probably one of the smallest bits of contact you could have, but with a pretty terrible consequence for both of us."

Before the collision that resulted in retirement for McLaren, Norris and Verstappen battled a turn that saw Verstappen go wide to maintain his position. Norris, on team radio, said he believed the position was rightly his because he was leading at the apex. Verstappen, on Red Bull's radio, said he felt that Norris, "dive bombed," him, and that the position was his.

Later, the collision gave George Russell the lead, which he would hold until the end of the race. The McLaren came away in worse shape than the Red Bull. "Let's not waste milage," Norris suggested, while Verstappen and Red Bull swapped tires and kept racing. Verstappen had some issues on track, but did enough to stay in the points. He also got a point for logging the fastest lap of the race.