04/07/2024
NEWS STORY
Insisting that he doesn't "give a s**t" about outcry following Austrian clash, Max Verstappen admits that he doesn't want to compromise his relationship with Lando Norris.
While Norris has admitted that he has spoken to the Dutchman twice since last Sunday's incident, and no longer seeks an apology, Max Verstappen insists that he doesn't care about the ongoing media frenzy and only wants to maintain his good relationship with the McLaren driver.
Asked about the media outcry in the wake of the incident, and claims, like that of Andrea Stella, that the sport's powers that be have been to lenient with him over the years, the three time world champion said: "I don't give a shit about that!
"I go home, I live my life, and the only thing that I care about is just my relationship to Lando," he added.
Confirming that the pair have spoken since Sunday's incident, he said: "We came to the conclusion that we actually really enjoyed our battle. We looked at the incident, and it was such a silly little touch that had, of course, great consequence for both of us.
"But we like to race hard," he continued. "We've done this for many years, not only in Formula 1, even like online racing, where we had a lot of fun together. These things have to carry on, because that's what we like to do. And I think it's great for Formula 1 as well.
"We agree with 99% of everything," he said of the Briton. "And naturally, I always said to Lando, when you go for moves at the inside, the outside, you can trust me that I'm not there to try and crash you out of the way. It is the same the other way around, because we spoke about that as well.
"Naturally, there's always a human reaction when someone dives on the inside or outside, that you have a bit of a reaction to it. But I felt everything that I did was nothing massively over the top.
"Of course, like how you design the car, you try to go to the edge of the rules," he admitted. "Maybe you find some grey areas here and there like with the car, and that's the same how you race, because otherwise you will never be a top driver and you will never succeed in life anyway."
Asked about his calls on the radio during the race, in which he claimed the McLaren driver was "dive-bombing" him, he admitted to a worryingly increasing trend amongst drivers and their teams.
"You always speak for your own advantage," he said. "That's what he did. That's what I did. We all understand that."
Asked how he and Norris will approach their racing from here on in, he smiled: "We go at it flat out. That's what we agreed to, because that's what we like to do.
"That's what's good for Formula 1 as well," he grinned.
Indeed it is guys, indeed it is.