Max Verstappen & Lando Norris’ Bromance Under Serious Threat as McLaren Star Issues Ultimatum After Ugly Crash

What an unexpected end to the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix! Until the very end Max Verstappen and Lando Norris had the audience in a chokehold, but then one blunder and it was over for both the drivers. Taking advantage of the situation, George Russell secured his first win of the season and second of his career, followed by Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz.

From the beginning of the race, Verstappen seemed uncomfortable in his RB20. Sometimes he complained about the tires and sometimes about his gears. However, nothing could take him off the lead, that’s what the fans thought. Meanwhile, Lando Norris kept closing in on Verstappen now and then. The Dutch almost lost his lead in the middle laps but kept his ground, until lap 64. As Turn 3 approached, Norris moved to Verstappen’s outside. They collided when Verstappen moved left, causing both to go off with punctures.

None could recover from the incident. The Briton retired with a damaged read floor and Verstappen managed to secure P5. These were not the results they aimed for. Max was about to win his third consecutive race and Lando was about to secure another podium for the third consecutive time. But unfortunately, the Spielberg track will be etched in their minds as a nightmare. Moreover, this incident is causing a visible rift between the two drivers who are good friends off the track. A furious Lando Norris gave some cold replies to Sky Sports after the race and so did Verstappen. What did they say?

Are Lando Norris and Max Verstappen on the verge of falling apart after the Austrian GP blunder?

Lando told Sky Italy: “Will the friendship between Max and me end? I don’t know, it will depend on him and how he explains: if he claims to be right it will be over, if he admits that he did something stupid then I will understand”. It seems Norris is holding grudges against Verstappen. He blames the Dutch for his DNF. It will be interesting to see who owns up to the faults, and as for Lando, he seems to be in no mood to do so.

A potential podium went within the blink of an eye. On the other hand, Max Verstappen claimed the Briton told him if he apologized, he would “gain back the respect”.

Norris is fuming and it makes sense. Anyone in his position would’ve felt the same. So is Verstappen not fuming? Maybe he isn’t revealing much. “I need to look back at why, or how we touched. Of course, we’ll talk about it. It’s just unfortunate that it happened.” A hint of guilt is it? Maybe not. Being the more sensible one in this case, Max is trying to keep his composure, also maybe because he was still able to get some points, while Norris couldn’t.

This is not the first time that F1 has witnessed a friendship fall apart due to on-track events. There have been several other such incidents before. Here are some friendships that were ruined on F1.

F1 friendships that didn’t see the light of dawn

First and foremost is the infamous rivalry between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. An old friendship turned bitter due to competition. From pushing each other off the track just for the sake of getting the extra edge in the race to finishing with a DNF, the two Mercedes boys did it all.

In the present day, F1 fans are witnessing the bond between Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc being at risk. Apart from that, the friendship between Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly is also on the brink, and who knows how many more. In a sport as competitive as F1, these bonds seem to be fragile and easily gone due to the high-octave demands this sport imposes.

What will happen to the McLaren No. 1 and Red Bull No.1’s friendship is yet to be seen. Fans would not like the two friends to fall apart. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that the supporters would miss their silly banters.

It was an overall enthralling Styrian Grand Prix. F1 ‘served’ once again. As the two drivers aim to reconsider and reconcile among themselves, the sport keeps unfolding. Next week, the drivers will find themselves on the historic track of Silverstone. What each team is plotting for the British Grand Prix is still a mystery.

What are your thoughts on today’s Austrian GP’s element of surprise? Let us know your opinion in the comments.