Verstappen, who appeared to offer an apology on the drivers’ in-laps as he pulled alongside Norris and waved, said he had not intentionally blocked the McLaren.
“I was just driving quite slow, and I wanted to accelerate but my tyres were quite cold, so then I had a big moment,” Verstappen said in his on-track interview immediately after qualifying.
“Then of course Lando was trying to pass me at the same time so he had to avoid me a little bit, but luckily nothing happened.”
However, speaking shortly after in the top-three press conference, Verstappen offered a stronger riposte to Norris’ comments.
“We were on our out-lap and we were all lining up to try to create a gap to everyone, and somehow he still wanted to get me into the chicane, but I was at the point of acceleration, but I was on very cold tyres so I had a little moment and that’s why he had to drive around me,” he said.
“But if you’re just a bit more respectful, then everyone is anyway already lining up. I don’t think anyone is trying to pass into that last chicane, so basically by trying to pass me you create that kind of problem.”
“Lando is a very good friend of mine so I would never deliberately push him off the track… maybe he thinks I did,” Verstappen said.
“The problem is that I was creating a gap to the cars ahead which everyone, of course, does because you don’t want to be too close around here. But, of course, your tyres are so cold because you’re driving so slow.
I was just trying to warm my tyres a bit and then in my mirrors I saw he was coming quite quick and I wanted to stay ahead of him, and as soon as I accelerated I lost the rear by having cold tyres.
“I had a big moment and tried to correct the car, and that’s why he had to go through the grass. Maybe he saw it as I was trying to turn in on him but I lost the car and I couldn’t have done anything else.”
With Verstappen and Norris waiting to visit the stewards, Red Bull boss Horner added that he was adamant the incident had been caused accidentally.
Almost an hour after qualifying had finished, Verstappen and Norris made their way to see the stewards, with the pair, who are known to be good friends, emerging from the meeting together.
