Max Verstappen has jokingly suggested replacing stewards with boxing rings for drivers to solve on-track incidents post-race.
The Dutchman made the comment in response to the incident between Lando Norris and Simon Pagenaud this past weekend, when the latter appeared to deliberately wipe out the McLaren driver as he was set to win IndyCar’s iRacing Challenge race at Indianapolis.
This after laughingly hatching a plan with his spotter to “take Lando out” following a crash while battling for the lead.
“That’s stupid, on Twitch to say that, like ‘OK let’s go and take him out’. I mean, if you do it, just don’t say it,” Verstappen said, speaking with Norris later on Twitch.
“You know what would be nice some times? Instead of like having to deal with stewards, they should just add a boxing ring in the paddock and then fight it out!”
Of course, while the Red Bull driver may be kidding, he did of course shove Esteban Ocon in the weighbridge area after the pair collided in the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix, costing Max the win.
As for the Pagenaud incident, Norris later called the Frenchman “salty” and dismissed the argument of some that it was only a video game.
“I know it’s virtually and people class it as a game — it’s become quite a bit more than that over the last few weeks,” he told ESPN’s new F1 podcast.
“Not only because it’s on TV but personally for different drivers and teams and sponsors, there’s companies and teams and so on which still need this advertising, TV in America with thousands and thousands of people watching it, it’s more than a game now.
“You’d still expect people to act professionally. People who have been racing for years and have that experience… although it’s virtual, and which is what everyone uses as an excuse, it was still taken seriously by everyone else [in the race].
“There’s still a lot riding on it, so for someone to be so selfish and just to not care about other people was disappointing at that time, and to see from such a driver. I guess you just have to kind of move on. In some ways, we’re lucky it wasn’t real. There could have been real consequences.
“In a few weeks, maybe eSports will get to a level where there are consequences. You can’t take people too seriously when they’re in a world where they are vulnerable of getting beaten.”
