Red Bull has no doubts whatsoever that the five-second penalty imposed on Lando Norris for an illicit overtake on Max Verstappen in Sunday’s US Grand Prix was fully justified, as the McLaren driver completed the pass beyond the boundaries of the track.
Verstappen and Norris were engaged in a tight battle for third in the closing stages of the race at The Circuit of the Americas, and on lap 52 of 56, Norris got close enough to attempt a move on the outside of his rival at COTA’s Turn 12.
Both cars ran wide and beyond the white line on the exit of the corner, with Norris rejoining the track ahead of Verstappen.
However, the maneuver predictably triggered an investigation by the stewards who ultimately deemed that Norris had gained an advantage, which warranted a five-second penalty and the Briton’s demotion from third to fourth.
McLaren vehemently disagreed with the decision as it considered that Norris had been ahead of Verstappen at the apex of the corner, while Norris himself argued that he had been run wide by his rival.
But there were no doubts in the Red Bull camp over the stewards’ call.
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"It's very clear in the rules, outside the white line you cannot pass,” commented Verstappen who now enjoys a 57-point lead over Norris in the Drivers’ standings.
“I have been done for it as well in the past – I think in 2017, or whenever it was, so I lost my podium like that.
"So I just remained calm, trying to do the best I could after that to bring the car to the end. It was not easy with the tyres and the situation that I was in. But overall, I still really enjoyed that battle that we had."
When asked if he had any sympathy for McLaren's stance, Verstappen replied: "No, I don't. I mean, they complain about a lot recently.”
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner admitted to being surprised by McLaren’s strong reaction to the stewards’ decision, arguing that the rules are unambiguous regarding such incidents.
“First of all, the racing between the two of them, it was competitive and great to watch and all the drivers know acutely what the rules are,” he said.
“They discuss these issues in particular corners in the briefings with the various stewards and driver stewards and race director.
“So look, the pass was made off-track. We’ve been on the receiving end of that. In fact, here, I think, against Kimi [Raikkonen] in 2018 [sic, 2017].
“So for us, it was crystal clear that the pass had been made off the track. So he should have given the place back. He chose not to. So therefore there was a penalty.
“So for us, it was very much a black-and-white scenario.”
Horner added that McLaren had made a mistake by not asking Norris to give the position back.
“What I perhaps didn’t understand was it was clear there was going to be a penalty, or it looked pretty clear there was going to be a penalty,” he said.
“With the car advantage and tyre advantage that McLaren had at that point of the race, it looked like he went to give the place back up at Turn 1.
“But there was some confusion there. If he’d have given the place back immediately, he would have probably had enough pace to make the pass [again].”
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