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Was Norris trying to snitch on Verstappen safety car investigation?
Max Verstappen was found to be innocent of any wrongdoing after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Red Bull Racing driver had to report to the stewards for overtaking other cars after the flag was waved in Baku as the virtual safety car (VCS) still in force. Ultimately, the incident led to Verstappen being investigated.
The stewards finding out that Verstappen had overtaken other drivers may have been due to a remark made by Lando Norris over his onboard radio. "Max is overtaking everyone," said the Briton, after crossing the line and seeing Verstappen pass him. "It’s still a VSC, right? I don’t know if it still matters or not, but it’s still a VSC."
Not long after, Verstappen was summoned by race control to discuss an alleged violation of Article 12.2.1.h, namely overtaking under a safety car once the checkered flag had fallen. Reacting on social media, some fans felt that Norris was trying to get Verstappen in troubl. However, speaking to F1TV, the McLaren driver refuted that notion.
Norris only saw yellow lights
"I just had VSC on my dash with the yellow lights. Obviously, there was a crash with paramedics on track which normally means no overtaking but he was overtaking," Norris said. "So I questioned it, I quizzed it to my team because I didn’t think you were allowed to overtake but maybe I’m wrong," was the explanation.
In any case, Verstappen received no penalty for the incident and retained his fifth place in the Grand Prix. Norris finished just ahead of him, in fourth position.
This article has been created in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen.
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