Second place Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, left, of the Netherlands, talks with third place McLaren driver Lando Norris, of Britain, at the end of a the qualifying session for the Formula One Mexico Grand Prix auto race, at the Hermanos Rodriguez racetrack in Mexico City, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Former Formula One World Champion Damon Hill criticised Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen for his driving battle against title contender Lando Norris at the Mexican Grand Prix where the Dutchman was accused of almost causing a collision.
In a racing incident spanning two corners, Norris was hot on the tails of Verstappen. The British driver first attempted to overtake the four-time World Champion from the outside and was a smidge ahead. But Verstappen hit the brakes extremely late and pushed Norris into the curb. The Ferrari breaking ahead could have been the reason that the Dutchman couldn’t turn in further, but Norris went ahead and came out of the curb in front of Verstappen. In the very next turn the Dutch driver recklessly dove into the left of Norris and overshot the turn. The British driver, vying for his first world title, called the driving ‘dangerous’. Verstappen was handed a 20-second penalty by the FIA stewards for his driving. Verstappen finished sixth while Norris was on the podium with a 2nd spot.
“The area footage is very clear,” Hill said on a Sky Sports podcast. “He made no attempt to back off and make the corner and leave room for Lando. It was simply a case of ‘you are not coming through’. The second move was just daft. He accelerated to the apex and drove Lando off the track and Lando didn’t have much of an option. That was silly driving.”
Hill further accused Verstappen of not driving fairly when he said, “They say that sport doesn’t build character, it shows character, and his default is to revert to preventative methods rather than trying to keep it within the bounds of fairness,” Hill added. “You shouldn’t be allowed to use your car as a weapon and simply block the track.”
Verstappen is currently on 362 points while Norris is on 315 with two sprint races and four Grand Prix’s still remaining, a title race that is coming down to the wire in the second half of the season after McLaren’s upswing.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 30-10-2024 at 19:06 IST
