After the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Lando Norris openly criticized the F1 regulation on track limits, following his intense battle with Charles Leclerc. The weekend could have been decisive for the championship, but Norris was unable to secure the victory.
Qualifying played an important role, and Norris admitted he could have performed better. The prolonged battle with Ferrari’s car number 16 slowed him down, and a black-and-white warning flag forced him to be extra cautious. In F1, this flag indicates that a driver has exceeded the allowed three track limits, and any further violation would result in a five-second penalty.
This situation made the British driver even more conservative than usual. Aiming to gain ground on his teammate in the championship, he knew he could not afford mistakes and approached the GP cautiously from the start. Once the warning flag appeared, he became even more conservative, focusing on securing valuable points and settling for second place.
Leclerc defended his position expertly, making it seem as if his SF-25 had widened, preventing the McLaren from making too many moves. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen claimed victory in Texas, reducing his gap to Oscar Piastri in the championship to 42 points.
The words of Norris
During the post-race interviews, Lando Norris criticized the regulation directly. “The areas where it was easiest to go off track were Turn 9, on the crest of the hill, and then the last two corners. I think I got three strikes by lap ten,” he explained. “So I wasn’t in the best position. But one of my problems was that I was battling with Leclerc.”
“You know, I think this is one of the most ridiculous rules we have: we’re invited to fight on track, but if you push too hard, you get a penalty,” Lando Norris continued. “I got a strike for trying to take the outside line and losing time to Charles. It doesn’t really make sense in terms of racing.” – the British driver pointed out.
After receiving his third strike around lap 21, Lando Norris managed to pass Charles Leclerc and hoped to catch Max Verstappen. However, tire wear from battling the Ferrari and the need to avoid a five-second penalty limited how hard he could push. After the pit stop of car number 4, Leclerc regained track position, resuming the fight with Norris. Only in the final stages did the McLaren manage to pass the Ferrari, but Verstappen had already secured the win.
“The flag definitely made my life a bit more complicated,” Lando Norris added. “Especially at Turn 19, with the wind being quite unpredictable. It’s hard to stay at the limit and avoid mistakes, which I did a couple of times too early.”
“But yes, I was a bit more cautious at the end because I couldn’t afford a penalty. Still, I took the risks I needed to take,” he concluded.
Leave a Reply