“Nothing will change,” Damon Hill praises McLaren for showing respect to Max Verstappen despite Austrian GP clash

Lando Norris, Damon Hill, and Max Verstappen (images via IMAGO)

McLaren’s Team Principal, Andrea Stella, was very angry about the crash between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris during the end of the Austrian GP. However, Stella made it clear that the Woking-based team had respect for the reigning world champion

Ex-F1 champion Damon Hill commented on Andrea Stella‘s media remarks where Stella blamed Max Verstappen for the crash but also expressed respect for Verstappen as a driver. Hill recognized Stella’s words as reasonable and respectful, echoing similar sentiments to F1 Presenter Martin Brundle.

Ah! I recognise that sound. Its the sound or reason and respect. Well done AS who echoed almost exactly what MB said.

Damon Hill wrote on X

Damon Hill said he’s not sure if crashes like the one between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris will make drivers race more carefully. He reckoned some drivers do not understand how their actions affect others, hinting at Verstappen. But Hill did think the race itself was good, with lots of exciting moments.

But we've been here before. Nothing will change. Some people just don't get it. Good race though.

Damon Hill added

Discover: Max Verstappen’s clash with Lando Norris shows desperation from the F1 champion

Christian Horner claims Lando Norris got his elbows out against Max Verstappen

Christian Horner mentioned that the pit stop issue didn’t directly cause Verstappen to lose the race, but it did make their race strategy more challenging. He reckoned that there was sufficient space for Lando Norris to avoid the collision. Horner noted that earlier in the race, Norris had received penalties for going outside the track limits multiple times. Horner’s words gave an idea of how he saw Red Bull’s race and the incidents with Norris during the race in Austria.

the pit stop] didn't lose us the race but it put us in a compromised position, For me, it looked like there was enough space up there for Lando. He'd already had the violation with the four strikes of track limits

Christian Horner said, as reported by RacingNews365

Red Bull team boss Christian HornerChristian Horner (Via: Imago)
Further, Horner commented it was just one of the things and Red Bull will bounce back next weekend. He described both drivers as tough competitors, highlighting Lando Norris’s aggressive defense and noting previous instances of contact between them in past races. Horner acknowledged that this time, Norris tried to defend but their clash ended up being costly for both drivers. The 50-year-old’s remarks indicated a readiness to recover the competitive nature that led to the incident.

It [the accident] was one of those things, and we'll bounce back next weekend. They are] Hard racers. Lando got his elbows out, and there'd been contact before with them. In the end, it cost both of them.

Christian Horner added

Certainly, Christian Horner indirectly blamed Lando Norris for the incident, he acknowledged this has happened with Norris multiple times and he made mistakes. Fans gathered large in numbers were disappointed as it was Red Bull’s home event in Austria which didn’t fall in their team’s favor due to unfortunate incident.