In a weekend where the hope was to continue closing the gap on Verstappen to boost the championship chase, McLaren and Lando Norris leave Austin with a wider gap than when they arrived, and, more importantly, with one fewer race to close in on the top. Ferrari was the surprise of the weekend, with a car that was particularly effective in the race, but behind them, a battle ignited between the two title contenders, with the fight heating up in the final laps of the race.
The highlight moment was Norris’s overtake on Max Verstappen at the braking zone of turn 12, with the Englishman passing his rival beyond the white line after outbraking the Dutchman on the inside, leading to a 5-second penalty.
This penalty was enough for the McLaren driver to end up behind Verstappen again, having not built up a sufficient margin after the overtake to compensate for the penalty, thus losing more valuable points in the championship standings. However, after the race, this incident sparked controversy among the teams, particularly at McLaren, with the Team Principal not holding back on his view of the incident.
Speaking after the race, Andrea Stella explained that he had “no doubt” that Lando Norris acted correctly, as in his opinion, both cars ended up off the track, which would mean that both vehicles gained an advantage from the maneuver. “In my opinion, the way the stewards interfered in this beautiful moment of motorsport was inappropriate, because both cars went off track,” Andrea Stella told Sky F1 at the end of the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
“So both cars gained an advantage. It’s a shame because it costs us a podium. It costs us a race where we were patient. After being pushed off in the first lap, at the first corner, we accepted it. That said, our position is very clear: this kind of decision by the stewards cannot be appealed. For us, this chapter is closed, and we move on to the next race,” the Team Principal added, emphasizing that the team will not appeal, as it is a penalty issued during the race.
When asked if there was a possibility for Lando Norris to give back the position to allow him to attempt another attack on track, Andrea Stella felt that it wasn’t necessary, stating, “We checked twice that both cars went off track. For us, there was no doubt about the correctness of the maneuver.”
Clearly, Lando Norris also disagrees with the stewards’ decision, also highlighting a “disparity” in treatment previously mentioned by the Italian manager between the first lap maneuver and the overtake on Verstappen at the end of the race, which the Englishman did not digest well.
“I tried. He also went off track by a few meters, so clearly he went in too strong, gaining an advantage by doing what he did. But I’m not the one to set the rules. I need to review the start. I was quite tight; obviously, Max was looking for an even tighter gap. From inside the car, it’s obviously harder to say some things and easier to say others,” Lando Norris recounted.
“Obviously, he fought hard, as he should, but even in this case, he completely went off track, so I need to review the situation. He defends himself going off track, he overtakes going off track. But I don’t intend to complain. Max drove well and defended well; we had a great race together. But the rules are the rules.” – he concluded.
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