SILVERSTONE, Britain — McLaren chief executive Zak Brown believes the collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in Austria could have been avoided if Red Bull's leaders had intervened earlier in the race.
Norris and Verstappen collided while racing for the lead at the Austrian Grand Prix, resulting in punctures for both drivers and Norris' retirement from the race.
Although Norris appears to have moved on from the collision, Brown believes the incident could have been avoided had the stewards or Red Bull warned Verstappen that he was pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable.
“Until someone tells Max that it's against the rules, he won't notice anything,” Brown said. “So I think the stewards missed opportunities to take notice.”
“I'm also disappointed that in a team as big as Red Bull, the management almost encouraged it, because you hear on the radio what was said.
“We all have a responsibility on the pit wall to tell our drivers what to do and what not to do and what happens in the race. I think we have to respect the rules.”
Brown appeared to be referring to a radio communication between Verstappen, his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner after the race.
Referring to Norris, Horner said on the radio: “He didn't behave properly, Max. You were very unlucky, but you did the best you could.”
Brown fired further shots at Horner by drawing parallels between the incident in Austria, Red Bull's breach of the cost cap in 2021 and an apparent criticism of the strained relationship between the Red Bull team boss and Verstappen's father Jos.
“We've seen a lack of respect, whether it's in terms of financial regulations or in terms of sporting issues on the court with parents and things of that nature.
“I just think that's not how we should be racing and we should be guiding our drivers on what's right and wrong and I think if it had been addressed earlier, maybe that incident wouldn't have happened.
“It was a racing incident, but I think it could have been avoided if the pit wall and marshals had been more aware of what you can and cannot do.”
Asked if he would raise the issue directly with Horner, Brown said: “That's the role of the FIA. I have no interest in speaking to Christian.”
Verstappen was given a 10-second penalty for causing the collision, which Brown believes was appropriate given the way the Red Bull driver positioned his car on corner entry.
“You're supposed to give a driver the width of a car and he didn't. It was a shame. It could have been just a little scrape and he could have kept going. But I thought it was the right penalty because that's what the rules say.
“Again, I think Max is an incredible racing driver, fighting for the lead. It's our responsibility as teams to inform the drivers what the limits are. If we don't, I wouldn't expect Max to do anything different.”
