Verstappen just proved again he hasn’t changed, or matured, since F1 2021

The end of Formula 1’s 2024 Austrian Grand Prix was horribly familiar for motorsport purists – those who feel the world’s best drivers really shouldn’t be driving into each other. But it was thrilling again for so many other observers. Because it was F1 2021 all over again.

There are similarities between Red Bull racer Max Verstappen clashing with McLaren driver Lando Norris at the Red Bull Ring’s Turn 3 and so many moments from Verstappen’s campaign of campaigns against Lewis Hamilton three years ago.

That year ended with a distinct focus on unacceptable defending – after Verstappen’s Brazil Turn 4 moves went unpunished and led directly to his actions in the race of disgrace that was F1’s first visit to Saudi Arabia.

On Sunday in Austria, it was a Verstappen defensive move that ultimately earned a penalty, which followed his repeated driving towards Norris in the braking zones of their two earlier engagements at the same spot.

All included contentious Norris attacking moves given who the McLaren driver was coming from with a big DRS speed discrepancy. But these were cloaked in the mitigating circumstances of Verstappen’s aggressive defence. Oh so Silverstone 2021 and Hamilton not ceding ground at Copse.

And the Verstappen/Norris Austria crash followed a botched Red Bull pitstop with Verstappen left fuming over his team radio – a la Monza 2021 too.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella – a consistent voice of calm sanity in a year where so many of his fellow squad bosses have disgraced themselves – summed it up.

“The problem behind it is that if you don’t address these things honestly, they will come back,” said Stella.

“They have come back today because they were not addressed properly in the past when there was some fights with Lewis that needed to be punished in a harsher way. Verstappen acted as he did last Sunday because of how he has approached F1 combat in the past.”

Even hours after the clash he was claiming “I honestly think I did leave a car’s width on the white line”. The moves were also a reminder of his early F1 career late-braking tactics that led to the famed ‘Verstappen rule’.

F1’s racing rules have been tweaked since 2021, with needed clarity brought to many things Verstappen…