FIA steward labels Verstappen as 'CLEVER' after Norris collision

An FIA steward has described Max Verstappen's move on Lando Norris at the Austrian GP as 'clever' after explaining why they did not intervene sooner.

The stars collided on lap 64, both cars suffering a puncture as a result of the collision, with Norris forced to retire due to the damage.

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However, prior to the collision, there were several laps of hard racing between the pair, with Norris having been on his team radio multiple times to complain that Verstappen was moving under braking as the Brit tried to overtake him at the Red Bull Ring.

"He reacted to my move. You're not allowed to do that. He saw me move and then moved," the Brit complained over the radio on one instance.

Predicting a coming together if things continued, laps later, Norris, also over team radio, added: "He can't keep moving after I've moved, it's just dangerous. We're going to have a big shunt."

Max Verstappen was 'clever' in Lando Norris battle

Despite analysis after the race appearing to show that Norris' complaints were more than justified, F1 steward Johnny Herbert, who was a part of the team making the decisions off-track in Austria, has argued Verstappen's clever driving meant the FIA could not intervene before the collision.

Explaining that Verstappen's movement under braking wasn't clear, Herbert told Coin Poker: "The good thing with someone like Max is that although he does not agree with it, he will find a way to use his weaponry in a different way,"

"As stewards, we looked at his under-braking and it was not clear.

"It was clever and just made it a bit more difficult for Lando to pick whether he went left or right into a particular corner.

"He will adjust somehow and find another way of doing it but still put the same pressure to whoever his opponent is."

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