Verstappen fears ‘nightmare 2021’ at British Grand Prix

Silverstone (AFP)

Red Bull’s Dutch world champion Max Verstappen hopes to avoid a repeat of the 2021 nightmare when he goes head-to-head with McLaren’s Lando Norris at Silverstone on Sunday in the 12th round of the Formula 1 World Championship, the British Grand Prix.
The Dutchman, who has won the world title for the last three years, will meet the McLaren driver in a competition for first place after a controversial collision between them a few days ago in the Austrian Grand Prix, which led to the other Briton, George Russell, giving his Mercedes team its first victory since the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix.
The prospect of more car-to-car contact at Silverstone in front of an enthusiastic home crowd brings back memories of the 2021 scenario.
At the time, Verstappen’s collision with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes sent “Mad Max” off the track at high speed on the opening lap, damaging his car and sending him to hospital, before Hamilton went on to win.
Things have changed, but the scenario could be repeated between two drivers who refuse to give up, with the Dutchman taking the blame for the collision with Norris and receiving a 10-second penalty for causing the incident that briefly brought out the virtual safety car and saw the Briton withdraw from the race.
He later admitted that he and his Red Bull team had made “mistakes” without offering a public apology so far, leading McLaren’s Italian team principal Andrea Stella to question the integrity of his Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner.
Stella pointed to the FIA’s role in allowing Verstappen to escape punishment for his role in a number of controversial clashes with Hamilton three years ago.
These comments added flavour to Sunday’s clash, turning it into a “high stakes” fight where there is more to it than just points.
After the Austrian Grand Prix, where he finished fifth, Verstappen said: “The result in Austria was not what we had hoped for and there were a lot of things that my team and I could analyse and work on to improve.”
“There were some mistakes in the race that cost us, this is the last race in three weeks so we want to fight at Silverstone,” he added.
For most teams, it’s a ‘home’ race, and Stella hopes Verstappen will respect the rules to deliver an exciting race.
Norris said he would not change his tactics or approach after last Sunday’s race: “I was fighting and that’s what we want, we want to fight.”
“We don’t want to complain, we don’t want things to end the way they did (Sunday), we both want to win and we will push things to the limit,” he added.
Along with Norris, both Russell and Hamilton will be hoping to secure a home win in what looks to be a tight four-team battle as the 24-round season approaches the halfway point.
Hamilton holds a record eight wins at Silverstone, with Verstappen winning last year, and will be hoping to secure another win after a 56-race drought since winning the 2021 British Grand Prix.
Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), who Hamilton will replace next year, also won the race in 2022, while his compatriot Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) has won the British race twice, but may not have the car he needs to secure a third victory.
“We know Silverstone is the king of fast circuits, so we have to take a step,” Sainz said. “And we are doing that, trying to find all the solutions to put ourselves in a competitive position.”
Sainz and his Monegasque team-mate Charles Leclerc are expected to be the main contenders alongside Norris and his Australian team-mate Oscar Piastri, as well as the Red Bull drivers, if Mexican Sergio Perez regains his form.
But all eyes will be on Verstappen, who enters the race leading by 81 points (237 for him and 156 for Norris), as his team Red Bull leads by 355 points, 64 points ahead of Ferrari (291). His reputation will be at stake, as will the gap in his lead, in addition to his friendship with Norris.
The British Grand Prix has been a permanent fixture on the Formula 1 calendar and its history with the sport dates back more than 70 years, with Silverstone hosting the first World Championship race in 1950.
A record crowd of more than 150,000 watched Verstappen win last year, while the number of people attending the circuit over the weekend of July 7-9, 2023, reached nearly half a million people.