Do drivers race differently against Verstappen because of his style?

F1 News

Do drivers race differently against Verstappen Perez Russell Norris Britain
4 July at 15:27
2
  • Kada Sarkozi
  • Editor

Now, every Formula One fan knows it by heart: On Lap 64 of the Austrian Grand Prix, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen made contact in Turn 3, which meant that both drivers missed out on winning that race. But do drivers race differently against the three-time world champion because of his approach? His teammate Sergio Perez, George Russell and Esteban Ocon all answered that question at Silverstone.

Russell and Perez on the same page

The driver who benefitted from the crash, George Russell was the first to share his thoughts in the UK. "No, I don't think so, to be honest. Max is one of the best, and he's a hard racer, and he'll push the rules to the limit, as all of the top drivers do. I think we all know what the rules are around moving under braking. You probably push that slightly beyond the limits."

About the incident, the two-time Grand Prix winner said: "As Lando said, it was just kind of a very small thing with big consequences, and part of racing, so yeah, short answer is no."

Sergio Perez, Verstappen's teammate, also agreed with the Briton. "I agree with what George said, I think Max pushes every single bit to the limit, as many top drivers do, as many drivers on the grid do. When you're racing him, you know it's going to be a hard fair battle."

Esteban Ocon, however, decided not to answer: "I'm not racing Max at the moment, we're not in the same category, so not for me to comment," the Frenchman declared.