Red Bull boss Christian Horner has asserted it is up to Lando Norris to adapt to Max Verstappen’s racing approach amid their clash in Formula 1’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen was penalised over an incident with seven laps to go at the Red Bull Ring at Turn 3 which saw both him and Norris incur punctures that ruined their hopes.
The Dutchman has received renewed criticism over his uncompromising driving in wheel-to-wheel combat, with Norris branding his moving under braking “desperate”.
However, Verstappen dismissed his rival’s remarks and Horner has insisted that the reigning World Champion will not alter his conduct in response to the punishment.
Instead, Horner has suggested the onus has been placed on Norris to become accustomed to competing with Verstappen on track now McLaren has caught Red Bull.
“I understand they’ve spoken already, I don’t think there is any issue,” Horner told Sky Sports News. “Certainly, from Max’s side, he’s not going to change.
“There’s an element, I think, of Lando learning how to race Max and they’re discovering that.
“Inevitably, there is going to be more close racing between the two of them as the cars look so close over the forthcoming races.
“Max is a hard racer – he’s probably one of the hardest racers on the circuit and everybody knows that if you’re going to race against Max, he’s going to give as good as he gets.”
McLaren boss Andrea Stella was incensed with Verstappen and touted it emanated from past incidents in his 2021 title battle with Lewis Hamilton going unpunished.
However, Horner has slammed Stella’s post-race assessment as being an “unfair” attack on Verstappen and reiterated his view that a coming together was inevitable.
“He raced incredibly hard in 2021, he’s a tough racer, and he hasn’t really been racing anyone for two years because he’s been out front so much,” Horner said.
“The conflict between the two of them has been building over two, three, four races where they’ve been racing each other closely and hard, and at some point that was always going to spill over – and it did at Turn 3.
“He was punished in 2021 if he did something wrong just as Lewis, who he was racing so hard that year, was for things he did wrong.
“I think it’s wrong and unfair to label a driver like that and I’m sure in the heat of the moment it was frustrating for Andrea, but that’s just tough racing.
“He worked with Michael Schumacher [at Ferrari] for so many years – he of all people should know that.”
Horner has downplayed expectations that the collision might prompt Verstappen to be targeted with hostilities during this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a partisan crowd for the British drivers as it is for Max in Holland, but I think whenever we go to those tracks there is always respect for the other drivers,” he said.
“I hope Max gets a reasonable reception and I’m sure it’s going to be all orange again this weekend – perhaps not Max Verstappen fans, more McLaren fans.
“That’ll be water off a duck’s back to him, he’ll have his head down and he won’t change. He’s the racer he is and I’m sure he’ll race just as hard this weekend.”
