Formula 1 drivers Max Verstappen and Lando Norris say they are on good terms following a collision at last week’s Austrian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull and McLaren racers were battling for the lead before they hit each other at turn 2, both picking up punctures.
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Norris had significant damage to his car and although he made it back to the pits, had to retire from the race.
Meanwhile, champion Verstappen managed to get back out on track but was handed a 10-second penalty for his antics, eventually finishing fifth.
After the race, both drivers said the other was in the wrong, leading to tension between the two close friends.
But as we head to Silverstone, they have now said any beef has been quashed and they are happy to race each other hard.
Verstappen said: “We go at it flat out – that’s what we agreed. That’s what we like to do and that’s what’s good for F1 as well.
“I’m not there to crash you out”
Max Verstappen shares details of post-Austria chat with Lando Norris after they clashed on track 💬#F1 #BritishGP https://t.co/of83OczW1Q
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 4, 2024
“The only thing I cared about was maintaining my relationship with Lando because we are great friends and that’s why I said after the race we had to let things cool down because emotions run high.
“We spoke on Monday and we came to the conclusion that we actually really enjoyed our battle.
“We like to race hard. We have done this for many years not only in F1, like online racing where we had a lot of fun together, and these things have to carry on because that’s what we like to do and it’s great for F1.
“I always said to Lando, ‘When you go for moves up the inside or outside, you can trust me that I am not there to try and crash you out of the way’. Same the other way around because we spoke about that as well.”
Norris was on the same page as Verstappen, saying his friendship with the Dutchman has not been tainted.
He said: “It’s clear how he races. It’s tough, it’s on the limit, it’s what I love. I thoroughly enjoyed the fight I had with him.
Andrea Stella was not happy with Christian Horner’s comment that Lando Norris was “trying to cause something” in Austria…#F1 #McLaren #RedBullRacing pic.twitter.com/9ystdtF5IW
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) July 4, 2024
“The more I’ve thought about it, the more I think it’s just racing. It was good racing, very close to the edge at times. We’ve spoken about it and we are both happy to go racing again.
“Max isn’t going to want to crash and ruin his own chances. I don’t think he’s going to change too much, and I don’t think I need to change much.
“There are things from both sides we probably wanted to do better. But avoiding an incident from moving under braking is probably the biggest thing.
“The stewards need to be aware that something can easily go wrong. You’re defending and that’s fine, but at some point that has a limit and it needs to be imposed.”
