An error at pit stops in the final stages of the race ha reduced the gap between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen by more than half, reopening the fight for leadership. However, the fight was also far too physical, to the point of the inevitable contact which forced Norris to retire. Verstappen after returning to fifth position received a 10 second penalty which however had no impact on the result as he found himself around 20 seconds ahead of Hulkenberg. Verstappen's behaviour, indicated as guilty, was not liked by his good friend Lando, but not even by his Team Principal Andrea Stella who, in commenting on what happened in the Austrian GP, wanted to bring back to everyone's memory the season of the first world championship Max Verstappen, 2021. A controversial season, from start to finish, and which changed the rules of the game a bit.
Andrea Stella's words at the end of the Austrian GP
Oscar Piastri's second place is little consolation for McLaren on a weekend where victory was potentially possible. In commenting on the contact between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, Team Principal Andrea Stella wanted to point the finger at Verstappen and Red Bull, but also at those who decided the fate of the 2021 world championship. In that year the Dutchman won , criticized several times for his too extreme defense. In Austria this topic has once again been discussed. There are those who would like to leave the drivers free to duel, those who would like more severe penalties. Andrea Stella also expressed his opinion on the issue, furious at the end of the Austrian GP.
“I see that the entire world population knows who is responsible, except for a group of people,” Stella told Sky Sports, referring to Red Bull. “But the problem is that if you don't deal with these things honestly, they will come back. Today they are back because they were not dealt with correctly in the past, when there were clashes with Lewis Hamilton [in 2021]. They should have been punished more severely. Then, we learn to run in a certain way, which we can consider correct and loyal.".
“The fact is that we have a lot of respect for Red Bull, a lot of respect for Max. They don't need to do this. This is a way to compromise your reputation. Why do something like that? It's about competing in compliance with the regulations which must be applied effectively. Because when a car is out of the race, as a result of this accident, the punishment must be proportionate to the result. We happened to move twice while braking. So I think it's clear that we need to enforce the way we race because we want to have fun.”
Photo Source: GPBlog
