Horner Criticizes McLaren’s Decision in US GP, Suggests Missed Opportunity to Avoid Norris Penalty

Christian Horner highlights a misstep by McLaren that may have prevented a penalty for Lando Norris

Red Bull believes McLaren erred in not instructing Lando Norris to relinquish his spot to Max Verstappen during the US Grand Prix.

Red Bull's Christian Horner is of the opinion that McLaren erred in not instructing Lando Norris to relinquish his spot to Max Verstappen during the F1 United States Grand Prix.

The final moments of Sunday's race at the Circuit of The Americas saw an exhilarating fight for third place between championship rivals Verstappen and Norris.

Sign up for our Formula 1 Newsletter

Stay updated with the newest Formula 1 stories, behind-the-scenes exclusives, one-on-one interviews, and special offers straight from the track to your email.

For additional details, please refer to our Privacy Policy

Following multiple unsuccessful tries, Norris managed to overtake Verstappen at the 12th turn during the final four laps. However, this maneuver led both racers to veer off the track, landing them in the run-off zone.

Formula 1's officials handed Norris a five-second penalty, choosing to maintain his position on the track until the race concluded instead of giving up his spot to Verstappen and attempting to overtake the Dutch driver once more.

Norris, managing to create only a 4.1-second gap ahead of Verstappen, fell to fourth place behind his primary competitor for the title. This allowed Verstappen to widen his lead in the championship standings to 57 points over the McLaren racer.

"Red Bull's team principal, Horner, acknowledged that he might not have fully grasped the situation, indicating that it seemed quite apparent a penalty was on the horizon."

Given the superior car performance and tyre condition McLaren was enjoying during that stage of the race, it appeared as though he decided to relinquish his position at Turn 1.

"However, there was a bit of uncertainty involved. Had he returned the position right away, it's likely he would have had sufficient speed to overtake once more."

Norris maintained that his decision to not quickly return the position to Verstappen was the correct one.

"Given that Max deviated from the track, usually when you're defending your spot and leave the track, you're required to relinquish your position. In this instance, I was in the lead, I maintained my spot since he was obligated to return it, and that's just how it goes," Norris contended.

"I believe I made the right decision, though I'm not the one who sets the guidelines. Max performed admirably on the track, creating an enjoyable competition. It was a great fight. He protected his position effectively and met all necessary criteria."

McLaren expressed their fury over what they deemed as the F1 officials' "unsuitable" meddling, while Horner was of the opinion that the situation was straightforward.

He mentioned that these matters are specifically addressed during briefings with the assorted stewards, including driver stewards and the race director, in certain designated areas.

"Thus, the maneuver occurred outside of the track boundaries. We've experienced this ourselves, actually, during an incident involving Kimi Raikkonen, if I recall correctly, in 2017."

"For our team, it was unmistakably obvious that the overtaking maneuver occurred off the track. Therefore, the position should have been relinquished. However, he decided against it, leading to the imposition of a penalty."

"For us, the situation was clearly cut and dry."

Discover More

Sign up for our Formula 1 Newsletter

Stay updated with the newest Formula 1 updates, behind-the-scenes content, exclusive interviews, and special offers delivered straight to your email.

For further details, refer to our Privacy Policy.

Recent Updates

Additional Updates

Site Navigation

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

Copying or reproducing the text, photos, or illustrations, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited.