Rivalry building? McLaren share remarkable post on social media about crash

McLaren have made a remarkable post on X, which is seemingly set to provoke Red Bull ahead of the British Grand Prix. The two teams collided on track during the Austrian Grand Prix when Lando Norris attacked Max Verstappen for the lead of the race.

On lap 64 of Sunday's race, a collision between the two championship leaders caused punctures for the pair of them. For Norris, it resulted in a DNF, whereas Verstappen recovered and finished in P5, extending his lead in the drivers' standings despite receiving a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision.

McLaren and, in particular, Andrea Stella were incredibly angry about the incident in the immediate aftermath of the Austrian Grand Prix. The McLaren boss even linked in the 2021 World Championship fight and suggested leniency in judgements towards Verstappen in that season meant the potential for a crash was always there.

Sky Sports analysts also blamed Verstappen. Anthony Davidson even analysed a video montage of previous incidents. This included the moment when Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc came together at the same corner in 2019, and the Dutchman was allowed to keep his victory. Davidson concluded his analysis with a clear and obvious conclusion: "Verstappen is guilty as charged, as far as I’m concerned.”

In the buildup to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, McLaren has decided to share this post again on X with a provoking caption. "Thorough analysis from former F1 test driver and expert pundit Anthony Davidson on not just Lando and Max’s incident, but ones that have gone before," McLaren wrote on X.

The British Grand Prix forms the final part of a triple header in the 2024 Formula 1 season. Verstappen and Norris have shared the front row of the grid in the other two Grands Prix in Spain and Austria. They also started in P1 and P2 for the sprint. With the Silverstone circuit suiting both the McLaren and Red Bull, the next chapter is set to develop in Britain this weekend.