McLaren Principal Criticizes Verstappen's Driving After Austrian GP Collision
The recent collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the Austrian Grand Prix has ignited a wave of criticism from McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella. Highlighting Verstappen's aggressive driving style, Stella indicated that such maneuvers have been a recurring issue, impacting the integrity of racing and the safety of competitors.
The clash, which resulted in punctures for both Verstappen and Norris, had significant race-day repercussions. With both cars compromised, George Russell capitalized, taking the lead and ultimately securing victory at the Red Bull Ring. The stewards, after reviewing the incident, handed Verstappen a 10-second penalty, placing the blame squarely on the Dutch driver.
Addressing the aftermath, Stella was forthright in his assessment, pointing to long-standing issues around Verstappen's driving behavior. "The entire population of the world knows who was responsible except for a group of people," Stella remarked, making a clear reference to the race stewards' decisions. He further stressed that previous incidents, especially during Verstappen's 2021 title battle with Lewis Hamilton, were not adequately addressed, leading to a perpetuation of such behavior.
In Stella's view, the inadequacy of past responses has allowed these aggressive driving tactics to persist. "If you don't address these things honestly, they will come back. They weren't addressed properly in the past when there were fights with Lewis that needed to be punished in a harsher way," he asserted.
Call for Regulatory Reform
Stella's criticism extended beyond the driver to the governing bodies themselves, pressing the FIA to reassess and reinforce its regulations. He argued for stricter enforcement to prevent similar incidents from recurring and to ensure fair competition. "The regulations must be enforced in a way that is effective. When a car is out of the race, as a consequence, then the punishment needs to be proportionate to the outcome," Stella said. He underscored the need for immediate and clear actions to establish boundaries that protect the essence of the sport.
Stella was particularly concerned with what he termed as incomplete responses from the past, which he believes have paved the way for current and future issues. "Before this episode, twice he moved in braking. It is evident that we have to enforce the way to go racing," he mentioned, pointing toward Verstappen’s previous on-track behavior even before the latest incident.
Using the collision at the Austrian Grand Prix as a case in point, Stella emphasized the importance of addressing competition-related grievances to prevent escalation. "In every kind of human dynamics, if you don't address things, as soon as you introduce competition, as soon as you introduce a sense of injustice, these things escalate. It's like anything," he explained, drawing a parallel to broader human behaviors.
Impact on McLaren and Opportunity for Change
The immediate consequences for McLaren and Norris were palpable. The incident deprived Norris of valuable points and what Stella felt was a well-deserved shot at victory. "For us, there's a lot of points gone. And a victory which I think Lando deserved to have the opportunity to have," he lamented.
Yet, amidst the criticism, Stella sees an opportunity for the sport to improve. "Here there was incomplete job, let's say, that comes from the past, and is a legacy that as soon as there was a trigger, immediately there is an outburst," he noted, urging the sport to learn from this incident. "So I think this one, like I said before, this episode today should be taken as an opportunity to tighten up, to plump up the boundaries, and in fairness, enforcing some of the rules that are already in place."
Stella concluded with a call for clarity and fairness in regulatory enforcement, emphasizing that the rules must not leave room for repeated dangerous maneuvers. "But we need to be very clear that these rules cannot be abused in a way that then leaves a margin to do a couple of times the same manoeuvre, and you know the third time there is going to be an accident," he stated. "It could have been Max, it could have been Lando. That's racing. But racing like with collisions, we don't like it." Stella's call to action aims to make racing safer and fairer, ensuring that talent and strategy, rather than aggressive tactics, determine success on the track.