Villeneuve: Norris got under Verstappen's skin

The accident between Verstappen and Norris in the Austrian Grand Prix is still attracting headlines and opinions, the latest of the retired F1 driver, who in his racing days had his own experience of on-track animosities with seven-time F1 Champion Michael Schumacher.

Verstappen has been dominating F1 since 2022, the first year of the current regulations. After a brief challenge from Ferrari and Charles Leclerc that year, the Dutchman drove into the distance never to be challenged again while in 2023 he won a record 19 races, his Red Bull team winning all but one of the races last year as Sergio Perez added two wins to his teammate's tally.

However in 2024, McLaren and Norris have emerged as the challenging force to Red Bull and Verstappen, and the clash everyone was expecting finally happened in Austria last Sunday.

Speaking to OLBG, Villeneuve gave some insights on the dynamics of the relations between Verstappen and Norris, he said: "Lando got under Max's skin.

"Max knows he has someone to fight against, which is a change. He hasn't felt like this since his first championship against Lewis. It was just a question of how many races he could win. Now you have someone who can take wins away from him and even championships. And not because he is in a better car but because he can outdrive him.

"That is what will get to Max and why he was stressed at the end of the race. You could hear it in his radio comments. It is not a position that Max is used to. He has never been in that defensive position," he maintained.

There was debate that the ten-second time penalty Verstappen received was too severe, even Norris himself saying it was uncalled for after a sensational U-turn since the crash.

But Villeneuve thinks it was the right decision, and went on to explain his opinion based on how drivers race nowadays, claiming something needs to be done in junior categories to avoid such situations in F1.

"The penalty was well deserved," he said. "The contact itself? The problem we have is that 90 % of the drivers do that now. They squeeze during the braking, or they change direction during the braking. Look at [Esteban] Ocon earlier in the race [Racing teammate Pierre Gasly].

"It was even worse than you should never move during braking or just before braking because the guy behind has already made his decision maybe to brake later than you.

"You don't squeeze the person out during braking," the Canadian insisted. "But they all do it. The penalty was deserved, and half the grid deserves it for what they have done throughout the season. They all do it and nothing ever happens. They say: 'Oh well it wasn't that clear.'

"Wrong. It was bloody clear," he stressed. "The driver who was there as a steward knows it. He clearly knows it. The problem starts in Formula 4 and Formula 3 and nothing gets done. When they get to F1 it seems they think it is the right way to race. But how can you race when you are weaving all the time?

"Defending means you keep the inside, fine. You want the inside you stay there. You don't come back on the racing line. There was also this rule that you are not allowed to change lines twice. And they do."

Villeneuve, who won his single F1 Championship with Williams fending off Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, hailed Norris' race craft and how he acted in Austria.

He said: "Lando could have gone off track because there was asphalt. But he did the right thing to hold his line.

"It sends a message to Max. They will be fighting against each other often in the future if they are fighting for the championship. It was important to let Max know: ' Hey, don't bully me. I am here!'

"Lando deserved to win that race the way he has been driving lately," he pointed out. "The race craft he has is one of the best race-crafts I have seen in years. It is very old-fashioned. He can read the race, and where to put his nose. It is very, very impressive.

"You could hear how he managed to put Max under pressure, even psychologically. That was amazing. At the end of the day, Max got points Lando didn't so Max actually increased his lead in the championship which is very frustrating for him.

"But at least Max knows now. I hope Lando stays tough like he has been. It is needed for the coming battles. It was an important statement from Lando that he would not back down.

"We always knew Lando could be quick. But now for quite a few races this year and at the end of last, he has stepped up. You can see the difference. I don't know if it was the win in Miami. The first one often does that.

"His shoulders now seem to be twice as big. He has gone from just being a quick driver to being a proper fighter and a proper racer and a driver who can fight for a championship. It is so impressive," Villeneuve concluded.