Horner: Norris still learning how to deal with ‘hard racer’ Verstappen
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner says Lando Norris is now discovering just how hard its is to race Max Verstappen, which is partly why the two drivers came to blows in last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
After a thrilling battle that lasted several laps, things got heated at Turn 3 between the two drivers. Contact was made, leaving both contenders with punctured tyres and dashed hopes.
Verstappen managed to limp back for a P5 finish after a pit stop, but Norris' McLaren was too damaged to continue the race.
The aftermath was filled with tension. Norris and McLaren team boss, Andrea Stella, were fuming over Verstappen's aggressive defending.
They felt the Red Bull driver repeatedly changed his line under braking, leaving Norris with nowhere to go before the clash.
However, Horner labeled the McLaren camp’s criticism as “wrong and unfair” and insisted Verstappen "won't change" his racing style, suggesting Norris is simply getting a taste of how the reigning champion operates.
"Certainly, from Max's side, he's not going to change," Horner told Sky F1.
"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."
Speaking to the media after his run-in with Verstappen, Norris was visibly upset by his rival’s tactics, and suggested that his respect for the Dutchman would significantly lessen if no apology was forthcoming.
However, Horner suggested that the two protagonists had cleared the air behind closed doors in the wake of their on-track dispute.
"I understand they've spoken already, I don't think there is any issue," he said.
Speaking to Sky F1 immediately after the race, Stella suggested that Verstappen’s aggressive tactics were simply a legacy from the lack of sanctions directed at the Red Bull driver during his intense battle with Lewis Hamilton in 2021.
The McLaren F1 boss believes Verstappen wasn't held accountable when pushing the limits, leading to his current on-track behavior.
But Horner took exception with Stella’s view, and noted that the tensions between Verstappen and Norris have been building in the past few races.
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“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."
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