WATCH: Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collide fighting for the lead at Austrian GP

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris lost all chances of a win in Austria after making contact in the ending stages of the race.

WATCH: Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collide fighting for the lead at Austrian GP

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris (images via IMAGO) Austrian GP crash (via F1)

The Austrian GP has been one of the most exciting races of the 2024 F1 season. It seemed that Max Verstappen was on course for an easy victory at Red Bull’s backyard. However, things took a drastic turn as the Dutchman battled it out against Lando Norris in the ending stages of the race.

Max Verstappen had a bad pitstop in the latter half of the race. This allowed Lando Norris to come just two seconds behind the Dutch driver. The reigning world champion continued to defend sternly against the Briton. Both drivers found themselves going off-track on a couple of occasions.

YouTube video

However, as Lando Norris tried one last attempt on the Dutch driver, the two made contact heading into Turn 3. Both Verstappen and Norris incurred damage on their cars as they continued to fight one another. Ultimately, the two drivers had severe damage with punctures on both cars, ending any chances of a potential race victory.

FS Video

Lando Norris retires from the race while Max Verstappen receives time-penalty

Norris had already received a five-second time penalty for violating track limits during the race. As such, the McLaren driver needed to gain a sufficient lead over Verstappen. However, after the incident, Lando Norris had no choice but to retire from the race.

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris (via IMAGO)

On the other hand, Max Verstappen managed to make a pitstop and get back into the race. The Dutch driver was handed a ten-second time penalty for this massive incident. Although, this did not hamper Verstappen’s prospects in the race as he crossed the chequered lap with over 20 second lead to sixth place Nico Hulkenberg.

Certainly, fans were astonished to see the race leaders lose any chances of a victory in Austria. George Russell emerged as the lucky winner in the battle and clinched his first F1 win since 2022. Max Verstappen and Lando Norris would be far from happy and could potentially share some unpleasant comments post-race.

In case you missed it: