McLaren is unconcerned that Lando Norris retracting comments over his Austria collision with Max Verstappen could mean he’s ceded ground to his Formula 1 rival.
Norris was incensed with Verstappen’s actions during their battle over the lead at the Red Bull Ring which ended with both incurring punctures from a clash at Turn 3.
The Briton branded his rival’s actions as “reckless”, but he has since backtracked on that viewpoint and questioned whether Verstappen should have been disciplined.
Some people have perceived Norris’ sudden U-turn as a weakness that Verstappen will be able to exploit when the two next encounter each other in a racing scenario.
However, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has rubbished that notion and instead pointed out Norris was striving to not get caught up in a saga that has dominated headlines.
Asked whether he was worried Norris had conceded a psychological ground to Verstappen, Brown replied: “No, I don’t think so at all.
“Show me a World Champion and I think ruthless and aggressive will be two good descriptions of any world champion or grand prix winning driver.
“I think Lando wants to move on from last weekend. Some drivers might enjoy a public spat. I think they have a very strong relationship off the track.
“They spoke. What they spoke about was between them.
“From what I saw from Lando and Max’s comments, they both want to move on and get back to racing each other real hard on track.”
Brown, who has slammed Red Bull’s reaction to Verstappen being penalised, admitted that he had been impressed with how Norris has managed the entire situation.
The American revealed that McLaren’s talks with Norris had comprised the desire to turn the page and ensure that his whole attention is on the Silverstone weekend.
“Our conversation with Lando has been that we can’t change anything from last week
“We can only try and make sure it doesn’t occur again and address having some full-time stewards and things of that nature. But we can’t unwind.
“I think we’re going to be very competitive this weekend and so we just want him to be laser-focused on that.
“Of course everyone loves a good battle. It wasn’t long ago that Mercedes and Red Bull were having an epic battle.
“I know it’s exciting and entertaining for the fans, but at the end of the day we want Lando and Oscar focusing on the job at hand and that’s exactly what they are doing.”
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