MAX VERSTAPPEN HITS OUT AT SKY SPORTS PUNDITS OVER LANDO NORRIS AUSTRIAN GP CRASH

Max Verstappen hit out at Sky Sports F1's pundits following his crash with Lando Norris at the Austrian Grand Prix. The Red Bull ace appeared to be on his way to victory in Spielberg but bashed wheels with Norris as the Briton attempted to overtake his rival with eight laps remaining.

The collision resulted in Norris' race coming to an end, with Verstappen going on to finish fifth after being handed a 10-second penalty. Mercedes man George Russell ultimately clinched victory ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.

And the Dutchman took aim at pundits who suggested he was to blame for the incident with Norris.

Verstappen was asked by Sky Sports reporter Rachel Brookes after the race whether he thought he was in the wrong and replied: "Of course from the outside it's hard to see when I brake. I know of course that, in the past, it's always been a bit of a complaint.

"But now I always move my wheel before I brake and then of course you brake in a straight line trajectory.

"That's always easy to say from the outside that I was moving on the braking but I think the guy in the car knows best what he's doing."

And when Brookes informed Verstappen that Sky Sports' ex-F1 driver pundits thought he moved before the incident and was to blame, the three-time world champion hissed: "Everyone can have their own opinion, but I'm the one driving and the best in control.

"Everyone, like I said, they can have their own opinion. From the outside it's easy to judge and comment but whatever, it's what happens."

Sky Sports pundits appeared to be in agreement as they analysed the crash. And former F1 driver Martin Brundle explained as he watched a reply of the incident: "Let's see this again, so Max went to the middle and then veered a little bit towards the outside, six of one and half a dozen of another.

"Max probably squeezed him a little bit, so then he was not going to let him through was he? Max is just watching that McLaren and Lando saw the damage.

"So, here we go, Lando goes up the outside, that's fair enough. But actually you know what, Max veered left towards him didn't he?

"We'll see it from a different angle, yeah that's Max squeezing him out. I think Max will have to take the pain for that one in my view."

And after the race, Brundle added: "It was Max reverting to early years Max, just getting the razor blades on his elbows into the braking zones."

2024-06-30T16:40:15Z dg43tfdfdgfd