Why Lando Norris' penalty for the US Grand Prix is ​​a “momentum killer” in the Formula 1 title fight

Stay up to date with the most important stories in Formula 1. Register here to receive the Prime Tire newsletter in your inbox every Monday and Friday.

AUSTIN, Texas – On a weekend that began with controversy between Formula One title rivals Red Bull and McLaren, it was perhaps fitting that it ended similarly.

With the technical battle between the two teams from earlier in the week now no longer a thing of the past, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were left to duke it out in their most spirited battle since the Austrian GP, ​​which ended in a failed collision.

This time they avoided contact, but no drama. Norris received a five-second time penalty after the race stewards deemed he had driven Verstappen off the track with four laps to go. He lost third place in the final standings when the stewards imposed the sanction on the last lap.

But the fact that Verstappen had also gone off the track at Turn 12 during the fight puzzled Norris – why he received the penalty as he had no choice but to do the same.

“He went off the track because of his defense, defended himself too much and made a mistake,” Norris said in the press after the race. “That’s why (he) benefited from it.”

Norris admitted he didn't understand the decision and wondered if the stewards had rushed to make the decision before the checkered flag. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella complained that the stewards had “inappropriately” “intervened in a beautiful piece of motorsport” as both cars had left the track and gained an advantage.

At a time when tensions between Red Bull and McLaren are already high, the call to the stewards' room was the latest flashpoint in the battle for both F1 championships.

The race-long battle between Verstappen and Norris began at Turn 1. (Sipa USA via Associated Press)

How the battle developed

Both would have liked their last fight to have been for much more than third place, given their title ambitions and front row lockout. But Ferrari's superior race pace allowed Charles Leclerc to dominate, while Carlos Sainz easily undercut Verstappen in the pits, securing second place and giving the Italian team its first one-two finish since Australia in March.

Norris dropped from first to fourth at the start after Verstappen's aggressive lunge to the inside allowed both Ferraris to sneak forward. Norris was unhappy with the move over the radio, but decided to put his head down and catch Verstappen again.

By running six laps longer in the first stint, Norris built up a tire delta that meant he could chase Verstappen on fresher rubber and caught up to the Red Bull with 13 laps to go. After getting the Drag Reduction System, overtaking around P3 seemed like a formality. If he finished fourth, Verstappen's net loss on the weekend after his sprint win would be just a single point. Certainly a success in the title fight.

That's not how Verstappen approaches racing. At the end of the straight at Turn 12, he overtook the inside several times before placing his car perfectly through the tight spots, giving Norris no chance to really get close to the Red Bull. Despite deteriorating tires and balance problems, the Dutchman maintained his position.

On lap 52, Norris came closest to Verstappen at the exit of the hairpin, allowing him to ride with DRS before they reached the braking point. Verstappen managed to brake a little later, but ran over the white line at the exit of Turn 12. Norris followed suit and shot further out before taking the lead in third.

Verstappen immediately radioed and said that Norris had overtaken him off the track and that he should give the position back, repeating the call twice more. His race engineer, GianPiero Lambiase, assured him that he would get the place, pointing out that Norris had also violated the track restrictions and that Red Bull expected a penalty.

On the final lap, race management confirmed that Norris had received a five-second time penalty. He crossed the finish line 4.1 seconds ahead of Verstappen, meaning he fell back in the final standings – and, crucially, extended the championship lead back to 57 points.

Norris disagreed about the merits of his sentence. (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Why Norris received the punishment

Formula 1's racing rules are a constant source of debate among drivers, particularly in corners like Turn 12, where drivers regularly go too far in battles. Oscar Piastri received a time penalty for pushing a rider off the track in the sprint race, confusing some riders. The stewards condemned Pierre Gasly for overtaking outside the track at the same point during the Grand Prix.

Norris admitted after the race that it was a “tough job” to manage such battles, but explained that he had no choice but to retire due to Verstappen's central defense.

“It's impossible for people to know whether I could have made it down the track or not,” Norris said. “You can’t manage something like that. But those are the rules. They seem to be changing because it looks like it's quite inconsistent with what happened in Austria (in their late fight) where Max received no penalty and went off the track, giving himself an advantage. There are inconsistencies again, but it’s tough.”

Go deeper

“Inevitable”: The first real F1 fight between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris ends in tears

Norris also regretted that he could not express his point of view in the debate, and McLaren could also not appeal against the time penalty in the race, as the latter was “again a stupid thing because they are just guessing.” I don't think the administration “This is how it should be done.”

The stewards eventually issued a bulletin explaining the time penalty and explained that Norris was “not level with (Verstappen) at the apex”, meaning the McLaren driver had lost “right” to the corner.

“For (Norris) to leave the track and return before (Verstappen) is deemed to have left the track and gained a permanent advantage,” it said. The stewards added that it was taken into account that Norris had “little choice” but to go off track due to Verstappen, but that imposing a penalty of five seconds instead of ten was only a mitigating factor.

Norris took the decision on its head and said there was “not much I can do but just accept it,” even though he didn't understand it and wanted clarity from the stewards. The topic will certainly come up at the next F1 drivers' meeting.

Verstappen found it easier. “I think it’s pretty clear,” he said. “No overtaking is allowed outside the white line.” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner agreed, saying it was McLaren's decision not to tell Norris to give up the position.

Stella remained unfazed by what happened after the race, suggesting that journalists are looking into the statistics about Verstappen's defensive moves. “How many times has Max used this method to prevent both cars from going off the track?” he said. “I think both cars gain an advantage when there is an advantage.

Verstappen brushed off a question about his off track and any complaints from McLaren. “They’ve been complaining a lot lately anyway,” he said.

“The rules state very clearly: You are not allowed to pass outside the white line. I’ve been killed for this in the past.”

Verstappen extended his lead over Norris to 57 points. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

The influence on the championship

Even if they didn't agree on the penalty, Verstappen and Norris did agree on the quality of their fight in the last 13 laps.

Norris has always enjoyed his battles with Verstappen, who have become an even contest this year thanks to McLaren's increase in performance, which has matched and even surpassed Red Bull. He called today a “great fight”, praised the Red Bull driver for his defense and pointed out the importance of focusing on certain movements in the fight against Verstappen. “You can’t just be half-hearted with Max,” he said, ultimately taking responsibility for letting him pass in Turn 1.

“If I had defended better going into Turn 1 and not driven like a Muppet… I should have led going into Turn 1 and we shouldn't have had this conversation in the first place,” he said.

The difficult thing for Norris is that the ruling and the resulting change of six points in the standings – the difference would have been 51 if he had finished third – have dealt a blow to his championship hopes. The result ended his streak of steadily closing in on Verstappen at the top of the standings since the summer break. The Austin weekend brought months of momentum that McLaren had been building to a halt.

With a deficit of 57 points and only five rounds remaining, the numbers are against him.

“It’s a momentum killer,” Norris said. He doubted it would be possible to beat Ferrari in Austin, but said: “The only guy I have to beat is Max, and that's the guy I didn't beat today.” So overall it was an unsuccessful one Weekend.

“But we tried well. I tried. It wasn’t good enough and we still have a lot of work to do and I have to work on myself.”

Verstappen may not have been happy with the feel of his Red Bull for most of the race, but the upgrades have at least put the team back in the right direction in the competition. Most importantly, he has extended his lead in the championship.

“That’s definitely the positive,” said Verstappen. “I was hoping for a little better performance today, so today we have to analyze why we just weren’t that good today.”

(Top photo of Lando Norris: Mark Thompson / Getty Images)