The Max Verstappen vs. Lando Norris controversy from the Austrian GP has absurdly been solved behind closed doors. After the incident, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella went on the offensive. He claimed that the FIA’s failure to reprimand Verstappen’s aggressive maneuvers in 2021 resulted in an ugly clash in Austria. McLaren CEO Zak Brown was equally incensed, criticizing Red Bull boss Christian Horner for not being truthful with his driver about toning down combativeness on track. However, this tense argument has now subsided with the FIA admitting its mistake, though fan backlash has only intensified.

In Austria, Norris accused Verstappen of changing lines under braking multiple times. Verstappen’s actions, which included weaving under braking, had been banned by F1 in 2017 due to their dangerous nature. Although stewards penalized Verstappen for the collision, they did not deem his other defensive maneuvers as dangerous. This made Zak Brown suggest that F1 needs full-time stewards to avoid such inconsistency in enforcing rules.

Surprisingly, as per Andrea Stella, the FIA has agreed that Verstappen should’ve received a warning, at least. “We are happy because I think the FIA have expressed their opinion around what happened in Austria and we are satisfied that this opinion confirms that our understanding straight after the race was correct, and during the race to some extent,” Stella told Autosport.

He further explained how a simple warning would’ve been sufficient to make Verstappen take caution. “So, our understanding was confirmed by the FIA, who will have obviously reviewed internally and might have updated their interpretation. And I think we all came to the conclusion that a warning should have been given to Max, if not a black and white flag. And this would have prevented an escalation that led to the collision,” he concluded.

Stella, initially the most furious, calmed down after the FIA’s confession. However, fans’ anger skyrocketed due to the delayed update about the matter.”

Fans bash FIA’s Max Verstappen confession as being too little, too late

Coming into the British GP weekend, this unfortunate battle took center stage in press conferences. Apart from Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, many other drivers were asked to chip in with their stances. While Lewis Hamilton avoided the awkward question, other drivers labeled it a consequence of hard racing. McLaren CEO Zak Brown, however, continued his rant against Red Bull’s unfair treatment of the situation.

Though the latest development isn’t an official statement from the FIA, Stella’s words confirm the FIA’s stance. Because this isn’t the first time that Verstappen has been seemingly sided with, one fan unabashedly highlighted this bias.

Another fan doubled down on this stance, emphasizing how pointless the FIA’s new stance is. With one week already having passed and the full focus being on the British GP, the stewards won’t reduce any points that Verstappen secured.

This isn’t the first time the FIA has admitted its mistake well after a race weekend has concluded. The 2021 Abu Dhabi finale with the Michael Masi controversy is a prime example of this pattern, as pointed out by a user.

Building on the previous fan’s emotions, another stressed the pressing stewards issue in F1, as Zak Brown did. While the American boss hinted at the nature of the stewards’ job, this fan urged the FIA to destroy the alleged Verstappen bias once and for all.

The FIA’s stance has also come after Brown started firing at Red Bull and Christian Horner on all cylinders. This led one fan to cook up a conspiracy theory where the FIA has changed its stance in front of the McLaren bosses to avoid further inconveniencing Red Bull.

What is your opinion on this fresh development triggering fan sentiment? Does Verstappen deserve the criticism being thrown his way, even through the bias allegations on the FIA? Though the Dutchman himself has blamed the English media’s bias towards Norris, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.