McLaren vs Verstappen- The controversy of the US Grand Prix

The first race of F1’s American triple header saw Charles Leclerc and Ferrari victorious, however, headlines are not focused on Ferrari’s success. Instead, media attention has turned towards the ongoing conflict between title contenders Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, and the controversial time penalty awarded to the British driver in the closing stages of last weekend’s race.

During lap 52 of 56, Norris, who had been chasing Verstappen for 10 laps, overtook the world champion, but was pushed wide and left the track during the overtake. As all 4 wheels of his car had passed the white lines, Norris was eventually awarded a 5 second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, and was demoted from P3 to P4 after the race.

Norris himself hit back at the stewards after the race, claiming the decision was rushed, describing these events as a “momentum killer”

Under normal circumstances, a driver in Norris’ position would give the position back and try the overtake again. However, McLaren believed that Norris was ahead at the corner’s apex and was therefore not at fault. Norris himself hit back at the stewards after the race, claiming the decision was rushed, describing these events as a “momentum killer” in his fight with Verstappen for the Driver’s Championship.

McLaren Team Principal, Andrea Stella equally commented on the incident, explaining that he had “no doubt the manoeuvre was correct”. As both cars ended up leaving the track during the incident, the team believed Norris gained nothing and therefore the stewards’ intervention was not necessary. Stella explains, “If there is an advantage gained, it was at least neutral”.

McLaren have since lodged an appeal against the penalty, arguing that the rules on overtaking are not clear enough. This was very quickly rejected by the FIA. When asked for his opinion on the incident, Verstappen dismissed his rivals’ protests, stating that “they complain a lot lately”. He explained that these rules are drilled into drivers from the very beginning of their careers, from karting all the way through to F3 and F2, and therefore doesn’t know why these rules should be reviewed.

Shouldn’t Verstappen have been penalised for running Norris wide at the same corner?

Footage seems to show that it was in fact Verstappen who was marginally ahead at the apex of the corner, but McLaren felt that he delayed braking to deliberately force Norris wide and make his eventual overtake illegal. Earlier in the race, Mercedes’ George Russell was penalised at the same corner for a similar incident in which he forced Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas off the track. Sky Sports pundit and ex-F1 driver Martin Brundle commented on this controversy and questioned, “Shouldn’t Verstappen have been penalised for running Norris wide at the same corner?”

Seven time World Champion, Lewis Hamilton also commented on the incident and its timing, deeming it interesting that this had only just been brought up, considering similar incidents (e.g. the 2021 Brazilian GP in which Hamilton was forced off track by Verstappen in a similar manner) have previously gone unnoticed.

As a result of Norris’ penalty, Verstappen has now extended his championship lead to 57 points, 3 more than before the last GP. With only 5 races left, Norris’ title hopes seem to be slipping further and further away, and a 4th World Championship is closer to Verstappen’s grasp.