Former Formula 1 driver warns: “Austria critical for Lando Norris after Canada crash”. Juan Pablo Montoya warns that Austria and Silverstone could be pivotal for Lando Norris.

The Colombian expects a great performance from Max Verstappen
After a one-week break, F1 turns its focus to the double-header in Austria and Great Britain. According to Juan Pablo Montoya, these two rounds will be very important for Lando Norris. The McLaren driver is coming off an incident in the final stages of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, in which he nearly took out teammate Oscar Piastri as well. A year ago in Austria, Lando Norris collided with Max Verstappen, forcing his own retirement and opening the door for George Russell’s win.

“It will be interesting to keep an eye on Lando Norris in Austria, to see whether he redeems himself or sinks completely,” Montoya told CasinoHawks. “If Norris fails to be highly competitive in Austria and at Silverstone, McLaren risks losing him mentally for a long time.” Lando Norris will also have one fewer Free Practice session than his rivals. In FP1, he’ll have to give up his seat to young Alex Dunne, who is making a name for himself in F2.

The Colombian expects a very competitive Max Verstappen in Austria, also because, according to Juancho, the Red Bull car is not as weak as some claim: “I don’t think the Red Bull is as bad as people think. It’s a car built specifically for Max. It’s a car he knows how to drive—it’s not easy to drive, but it does what he wants. I think Red Bull should be very strong in Austria because it’s the kind of circuit where you need some traction, but not excessively. There are a lot of flowing corners, a bit like in Japan, long corners. It’s the type of track where Red Bull can shine. Max, who is still doing an outstanding job, will be very, very strong there again.”