Home/F1

via Reuters

via Reuters

With the Japanese Grand Prix weekend underway, things have already spiced up. From Mick Schumacher’s FP crash to Max Verstappen and Lando Norris’s close call in qualifying, the Suzuka Circuit has been quite eventful so far. Even though there was no harm done in the latter case, Verstappen apologized for his move.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The incident took place on the out-lap when Verstappen lost control of his car at 130R. The Red Bull of Verstappen snapped anti-clockwise, and that was when McLaren’s Norris decided to overtake him. With Norris already at a high speed, he dived onto the grass to avoid a collision.

Verstappen, as appeared in a video, apologized to the Briton on the track itself, post the scary incident. Moreover, the Dutchman had lost his cool at the sudden loss of control of his car.

READ MORE: FIA Crush Lando Norris’ Expectations As Max Verstappen Gets Away With Risky Business at Suzuka

The Japanese Grand Prix returns after two years due to the Coronavirus pandemic. As the Qualifying has concluded, it was a decent one from a fan’s perspective with the usual Ferraris and Red Bulls fighting for the top spot. With Max Verstappen on the pole, it’ll be interesting to see what he can do tomorrow.

What did the FIA say about the Max Verstappen and Lando Norris incident?

Max Verstappen, who picked up pole position on Saturday, will get to keep his place despite the FIA calling the driver and Norris up for further investigation. The investigation caused due to close call will see the 25-year-old driver get away with a reprimand. Following are the statements from FIA about the Max Verstappen – Lando Norris findings.

The driver of car 1 was aware of car 55 in front and car 4 approaching from behind and decided to accelerate at precisely the same time as car 4 decided to overtake car 1. Unfortunately, due to lack of tire temperature on car 1, the driver temporarily lost control of the car causing it to ‘snap’ anti-clockwise.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The driver of car 4 stated that this was simply an unfortunate incident however it is the driver’s responsibility to at all times maintain control of their car. Regarding penalty, all previous breaches of this nature have resulted in a Reprimand hence a similar penalty is imposed in this case,” the report concluded.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY: Max Verstappen Wittily Responds to Backlash for 2021 Championship Win

As things stand, Verstappen starts tomorrow’s race in P1, while Norris starts from P10. If the Dutchman can pick up the win and the fastest lap, he can easily be crowned as the 2022 F1 world champion in Suzuka.