Lando Norris was left furious over a penalty he received for an overtaking move on Max Verstappen during the United States Grand Prix on Sunday.
The McLaren driver was handed a penalty that dropped him from third to fourth place, allowing Verstappen to extend his lead in the championship to 57 points with five races remaining and 146 points still up for grabs.
Norris, who admitted he “drove like a muppet” at the start by allowing Verstappen to force him wide at Turn 1, lost positions to eventual race winner Charles Leclerc in the process.
However, the most pivotal moment of the race came with just four laps remaining.
Having spent much of the race behind Verstappen, Norris used an offset strategy that gave him a tyre advantage in the latter stages.
With 12 laps to go, he began closing in on the Red Bull, and after several laps of battling, he made a bold attempt to overtake Verstappen on the outside at Turn 12.
A tough US GP, but more points on the board for the team and a determined effort shown out on track, despite missing out on a podium.
Five races to go. 👊#UnitedStatesGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/gLVqJ4Oibd
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) OCTOBER 20, 2024
Both drivers ran off track, and Norris emerged ahead, but Verstappen immediately complained that Norris had passed him while off the circuit.
Norris and McLaren viewed the situation differently, but the Brit was handed a five-second penalty, booting him off the podium and back behind the championship leader.
Speaking after the race, Norris said: “For me, the thing that is incorrect is what Max did, which is defend his position by going off the track and effectively keeping his position.
“He over-defended and made a mistake and gained from that.
“I had to go off the track. It is impossible for people to know whether I could have made it on the track or couldn’t, therefore you cannot steward that kind of thing.
“For me, it’s just a rash decision. They don’t hear or understand our points, which they should do after the race.
The CONTROVERSAL moment Lando got ahead of Max for P3 ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/vtlUdJdyxu
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) OCTOBER 20, 2024
“They just want to make a decision at the time so they don’t alter points and podiums and things like that.
“But they don’t hear my point or my team’s point or Max’s point, which I don’t think is the most correct thing.”
Despite his frustration, Norris accepted the penalty, saying: “It was a great battle. Max defended very well but he ended up on top and congrats to him.”
Verstappen hit back at McLaren’s protests, saying the team have been moaning too much recently
He said: “They complain about a lot lately anyway, but it’s very clear in the rules.
“Outside the white line, you cannot pass. I’ve been done for it as well in the past.”
Does Lando feel his time penalty was fair? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/Phpn33T19b
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) OCTOBER 20, 2024
The stewards explained their decision by stating that Norris had not been level with Verstappen at the corner’s apex, meaning he had “lost the right to the corner.”
They added that Norris left the track and returned ahead of Verstappen, which amounted to gaining a lasting advantage.
Though the standard penalty for such an incident is 10 seconds, this was reduced due to Verstappen’s own actions of also leaving the track.
Had Norris finished ahead of Verstappen, he would have reduced the championship gap to 51 points. Instead, the penalty further hindered his chances of catching up.
Reflecting on the weekend, Norris added: “It’s a momentum killer, but we came here with our mind open, not expecting to dominate or win or anything.
“The fact Ferrari were so quick showed they are just as competitive.
“I could only have finished third. But the one guy I had to beat is Max and I didn’t beat him. It was a non-successful weekend.”
