Ross Brawn tells Lando Norris what he’s ‘got to work out’ after Austrian Grand Prix clash

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Legendary F1 figurehead Ross Brawn has offered Lando Norris advice after his clash with Max Verstappen at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Norris was battling with Verstappen for the lead of the race when the pair collided on the run up to Turn 3 which caused rear punctures on both cars, eventually leading to the McLaren driver retiring due to excess damage on his MCL38.

The Briton could be heard over team radio complaining in the laps prior about Verstappen’s moving under braking, while the stewards issued Verstappen with a 10-second time penalty for causing the collision between the pair.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Brawn believes Norris will need to figure out how to race with the three-time world champion, as it is expected that they will face each other on track again.

Ross Brawn offers advice to Lando Norris

Norris and McLaren had produced a better tyre strategy than Red Bull to put Verstappen’s comfortable lead under threat in Austria, but the Briton still needed to work out how to get past him.

Peter Windsor highlighted the FIA track limits ruling that could have prevented the collision, while Martin Brundle thinks Red Bull ‘damaged their credibility’ when they apportioned the blame on Norris.

Brawn, who has worked with F1 greats including Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, believes it is unlikely that Verstappen will change his approach.

“You don’t change the DNA of your driver. Lando now is getting more competitive, has got to work out how he can manage it,” said Brawn.

“I don’t suspect Max is going to change, so it’s great for the sport and entertainment.”

Lando Norris will need to mimic Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc

Verstappen has been up against two rivals in F1, notably Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

The Ferrari driver recently used two words to describe his old karting rival having come close to battling him on track at moments during the 2019 season, notably when the Dutchman barged past at the same corner as the Norris contact to win the Austrian GP that year.

Hamilton bore the brunt of Verstappen’s aggressiveness during their year-long scrap for the 2021 championship, with the pair colliding on more than one occasion while fighting for the lead.

Norris will need to channel both drivers if he wants to avoid any further incidents with Verstappen on track, as it is likely they will be battling at more races as McLaren fits more update packages to their car.