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Max Verstappen and Lando Norris took each other out of contention as George Russell capitalised to win a dramatic Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen was in cruise control for most of the 71-lap race before a slow second pit-stop brought Norris, in second for the majority, back into the mix for the lead.
The McLaren driver soon closed up on Verstappen and tried, on numerous occasions, to overtake at turn three – and the Brit was angry over team radio, alleging that Verstappen was moving in the braking zone.
Yet the intoxicating tussle turned disastrous for both drivers when they collided on lap 64 and both sustained punctures, allowing Russell to take first place and claim his second win in Formula One.
Both Verstappen and Norris – good friends off track – limped to the pits but while Verstappen finished the race in fifth, Norris was forced to retire due to damage to his McLaren car.
Verstappen, officially at least, was blamed for the incident as the stewards gave him a 10-second time penalty.
When told over team radio that he received a penalty, Verstappen replied on team radio: “Of course. Yep, sure.
“That’s just ridiculous. He can send left or right, what does he want me to do?”
Norris’ response post-race was strong: “I don’t know what to say… disappointed. A good race. I looked forward to a strong, fair battle but I wouldn’t say that’s what it was in the end. Mistake-free race from my side, thought I did a good job.
On Verstappen moving in the braking zone, he said: “There’s a rule, you’re not allowed to react to another driver, three out of three – two times I avoided it, third time he ran into me.
“He was clearly slower at the end, he ruined his own race as much as he ruined mine. Nothing more I can do. Got ruined through not my fault.
“There’s rules, if the rules aren’t followed, nothing I can do about that. Do my job, go out and drive fast. From my side, just carry on doing what I’m doing. I’’m happy with my improvements from yesterday to today and onto Silverstone.
On whether he’ll talk to Verstappen, Norris added: “It depends what he says. If he says he did nothing wrong, I’ll lose a lot of respect for that.
“If he admits to being a bit stupid and running into me, and being reckless, then I’ll have a small amount of respect! It’s still a tough one to take, fighting for the win. Gutred for the team.”
Meanwhile for Russell and Mercedes, it is their first win since Russell’s inaugural victory in Brazil in November 2022.
Russell said: “Incredible. It was a tough fight out there, I saw on the TV the battle between Max and Lando. You’ve got to be there at the end to win.
“They were going for it, I couldn’t believe how close we were to them. I knew there was a possibility. So proud to be back on the top step, we’ve made so many strides since the start of the season.
“It’s no secret that Max and Lando are a bit out in front. If anything happens out in front, we’re there to pick it up – what an exciting time for us.”
