Max Verstappen has found an ally in former 4-time world champion Alain Prost (worth $100 million), as the Frenchman spoke out against the penalty given to the Dutch driver in Austria. The events during the race in Austria are going to go down as some of the more memorable moments of the season.
The race featured Max Verstappen and Lando Norris battling it out for the win. The McLaren driver had better tires, while the Red Bull driver had better track position. The battle involved quite a few moves that were not only marginal but also sometimes over the limit.
As the battle heated up, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris would make contact, causing punctures to both cars. The collision led to Max getting a penalty and facing a ton of backlash from the media.
After a week, at the next race weekend in Silverstone, not only Lando Norris but a bulk of other drivers spoke in favor of Max Verstappen and felt that the driver didn’t make any mistake. Former champion Alain Prost has also chipped in on the incident and he’s not of the view that Max should have been penalised.
Answering the question of whether Max Verstappen’s aggressive driving style and reputation contributed to the penalty, the Frenchman pushed back and said that the penalties can’t be given based on that. He told L’Equipe (as quoted by RacingNews365),
“Penalties should not be handed out based on reputation, but on facts. It is not special that you try to close the gap on the left when the next corner goes to the right. That’s how you prevent someone from overtaking you, and it’s been happening for as long as racing has existed.”
Acknowledging Verstappen’s reputation as a driver, Prost added,
“Yes, Max is a very hard racer. That’s in his DNA and isn’t going to change. However, it also makes him so strong and he shouldn’t pay the price for his tough image. Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher had the same reputation as aggressive drivers.”
Alain Prost terms the Lando Norris-Max Verstappen clash a ‘racing incident’
When asked about his opinion on the Max Verstappen-Lando Norris clash, Alain Prost termed the collision nothing more than just a racing incident. He felt that there wasn’t a scenario of one driver being the aggressor and the other being the victim. He said,
“It is difficult for the stewards to judge incidents, even now that they have much more information at their disposal than we as spectators. We have to make do with what we see on television. If you want to make a judgement, you should always put yourself in the position of both drivers and not look at the name. Forget about a driver’s image and try to be as objective as possible, however difficult that may be.”
He added,
“I don’t think there was an aggressor and a victim. The crash was complex. I do agree with the verdict that Max was mainly responsible. He was penalized, although I think it was mainly an unfortunate racing incident.”
The Lando Norris-Max Verstappen clash is certainly something that has caught the attention of the media. Since the two drivers will continue to fight at the front, it will be interesting to see how long they will be able to keep things cordial.