Lando Norris was stripped of a podium in the US Grand Prix after he was slapped with a penalty for a controversial late-race move on Max Verstappen.
Norris crossed the line third behind the dominant Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, but a five-second penalty booted him off the podium and down to fourth.
Norris and Verstappen, the two championship protagonists, had been squabbling over the final step on the podium for several laps when Norris looked to have got the move done with the help of DRS down the long back straight on lap 52 of 56.
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Norris was almost completely ahead by the time the pair reached the braking zone, where Verstappen braked late in an attempt to get the spot back.
He couldn’t make the corner and ran off-track. Norris was still alongside the three-time world champion, and was forced even further off the track. Crucially, running so wide allowed Norris to stay in front of Verstappen.
On the last lap of the race, stewards slapped Norris with a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. He crossed the finish line only four seconds ahead of the Dutchman, which meant the positions were reversed.
When informed of the penalty on the cool-down lap after the chequered flag, Norris suggested the team should’ve told him to give the position back, which could have given him another chance to get the move done cleanly.
But speaking after the race, he acknowledged it would’ve been a tough decision to make given the circumstances.
“(The stewards) obviously can’t make their minds up for a few laps – it’s not an easy decision or it would’ve come a bit sooner,” he said.
“I tried, he went off track too. If he goes off the track, clearly he’s gone in too hard and also gained an advantage by doing what he did.
“But I don’t make the rules.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was scathing of the penalty, and explained the team didn’t instruct Norris to give the spot back because they had “no doubt” the move was fine given both cars went off track.
“The way the stewards interfered with a beautiful piece of motorsport was inappropriate,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“Both cars went off track, so both cars gained an advantage. It’s a shame because it cost us a podium, cost as a race where we stayed patient after we were pushed off in the first corner.”
Indeed, having started from pole, Norris was forced off the track at the first corner when Verstappen dived down the inside. Both cars again went off the track on exit, which allowed Leclerc to sweep through on the inside and take the lead. Leclerc was never seen again.
Norris said he would go back and have a look at the start to see what he could do differently, but conceded he was at a loss.
“(Verstappen) committed quite a bit, which he’s got the right to do but again he went completely off the track,” he said.
“I don’t know what to do. He defends by going off the track, he overtakes by going off the track.
“But I’m not going to complain. Max drove well, he defended well, we had a great race together, but the rules are the rules.”
On the podium, Verstappen was coy when probed about the move.
“It was a tough battle, I tried everything I could to keep him behind, I couldn’t but to still be on the podium is for us a great result,” he said.
“I have my opinion, but I don’t need to say it here. I’ll let the stewards do their thing.”
Earlier, Lewis Hamilton’s awful weekend ended when he spun into the gravel trap at the second last corner at the end of lap two, his first ever retirement at the Austin circuit.
His spin also triggered the first safety car since the Canadian Grand Prix in June – over four months ago and 10 races ago. It was the longest streak without one since an eight-race gap between the 2003 Hungarian and 2004 Spanish grands prix.
In his first race replacing Daniel Ricciardo, Kiwi Liam Lawson starred with a ninth place finish, which equalled Ricciardo’s best result of the year.
Oscar Piastri had a lonely drive to fifth.
The F1 season continues with the Mexican Grand Prix next weekend. The race will get underway at 7am Monday (AEDT).