Martin Brundle shares what he found ‘alarming’ about Max Verstappen conduct after Lando Norris crash

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Max Verstappen and Lando Norris came together in the closing stages of the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday. The crash followed a prolonged battle for victory at the Red Bull Ring.

Verstappen had built up an eight-second lead over Norris before his race unravelled. He began to complain about his tyres at the end of his second stint, and the ensuing pit stop was slow.

That virtually wiped out his margin, with the McLaren behind able to apply pressure with the aid of three DRS zones. Verstappen fended off Norris’ initial attacks into turn three, though the Briton was unhappy with perceived moving under braking.

On lap 64 of 71, Norris attempted to force Verstappen off line by positioning his car on the outside of T3. But the Dutchman came across too far to the left, and they collided.

Both cars suffered punctures that forced them to crawl back to the pits. The reigning world champion was able to salvage fifth place, but Norris had to retire.

That means he managed to extend his championship lead even in surrendering victory. Heading into this weekend’s British GP, Verstappen is now 81 points ahead.

Martin Brundle says Max Verstappen tried to ‘collect’ Lando Norris

Writing in his column for Sky Sports F1 after the race, Martin Brundle expressed concern about what Verstappen did shortly after the crash. As the two cars rejoined the track, Norris had more momentum and attempted to drive past.

However, the race leader drifted over to his right to shut the door, forcing Norris onto the grass. Verstappen escaped a penalty for this incident, with the stewards solely sanctioning him for the T3 collision.

Brundle has now been left questioning whether Verstappen has ‘calmed down’ in recent years. He was involved in multiple incidents with title rival Lewis Hamilton in 2021, earning penalties in Italy and Saudi Arabia, and Brundle felt those ‘default tactics’ returned against Norris.

“What I found alarming is that after the contact and as they were both limping along, Verstappen clearly tried to impede and collect Norris if he could,” Brundle wrote.

“Verstappen would get a 10-second penalty for the turn three contact, but such was his pace thereafter on fresh tyres it mattered not, as he recovered to fifth place, actually increasing his championship lead to the angst of many.

“In commentary, and in these columns, I’ve waxed lyrical about Max’s talent, and I stand by that, he’s one of the very best I’ve ever witnessed in 40 years. I’ve also said that he’s calmed down, matured, and plays more the percentage game with three championships in his pocket.

“But that appears to have been a thin veneer as this race was very much Max 1.0, with his default driving tactics and denials resurfacing.”

Brundle says Red Bull ‘damaged their credibility’ with Verstappen radio message

Verstappen and Red Bull have thus far refused to accept blame despite the stewards’ verdict. Indeed, Helmut Marko maintains that Norris was ‘a little more’ at fault.

However, Marko admits that they should have told Verstappen about Norris’ impending five-second penalty for multiple track limits violations. He could have let the 24-year-old through and still won the race.

Brundle believes the team ‘damaged their credibility’ with their radio communications after the chequered flag. They said that Norris ‘didn’t behave correctly’ and that Verstappen had been ‘desperately unlucky’.

His concern is that this will legitimise their driver’s approach. There could yet be further run-ins with Norris in the remaining 13 races.