Dr Helmut Marko believes both Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were "naughty" during their unfortunate clash for the Austrian GP win on Sunday.
McLaren's Norris, now the primary contender against the triple world champion for the 2024 title, confessed that his friendship with Verstappen might be in jeopardy after the late-race incident at the Red Bull Ring.
"It depends what Max says," Norris, 24, responded when asked if he will remain close friends with the 26-year-old Verstappen following the incident, where he accused the Red Bull driver of moving under braking in defence.
"If he says he didn't make a mistake, he will lose a lot of my respect," the Briton added. "If he admits that he was stupid and unfair to me, then I will continue to respect him."
Verstappen asserted it was "not the time" to discuss the matter with Norris amidst the emotions but denied moving under braking.
"I didn't feel aggressive, in fact it's him who perhaps lost control," Verstappen told Sky Italia, accusing Norris of executing "dive-bomb" moves from behind.
Despite the incident, Verstappen managed to extend his world championship lead, and he reacted strongly to a reporter from France's Canal Plus who suggested he should have defended with less aggression due to his significant lead in the championship.
"Should I just stay home then?" Max retorted.
"I'm here to win, not to finish second," he continued. "If you're fighting for the win, why can't you fight hard?"
When asked for his perspective on the incident, Red Bull's F1 advisor Dr Helmut Marko implied both drivers shared the blame, even though Verstappen received the penalty for the crash.
"It was a very sporting and entertaining duel until it changed from both sides," he told Viaplay.
"It became about who exceeded the track limits the most, and who was more naughty."
Marko also acknowledged that Red Bull Racing shared some responsibility.
"We knew that Norris was under investigation, because he had been off the track three times already. We didn't know if he would get a penalty, so we should have told Max to calm down, let him go, and that he (Norris) would get a penalty," said the Austrian.
"But that's not in the DNA of a Verstappen, and also not for Norris as well," Marko added. "But the outcome of the fight did not show how good both drivers are. They both raced too hard.
"At least we are happy to take the positive point that we have extended our lead in the drivers' and also the constructors' championships," he said.
Meanwhile, Dutch F1 commentator Olav Mol commented that Norris should not expect an apology from Verstappen in the days leading up to the British GP.
"You have to pull an apology out of a Verstappen with a pair of pliers," he laughed on Ziggo Sport. body check tags ::
