Max Verstappen gives verdict on Lando Norris battle at COTA: “It’s clear what can be done”. Max Verstappen reacts to P3 in Austin after his title rival Lando Norris received a five-second penalty.

Max Verstappen, more points gained on Lando Norris
The checkered flag at the Austin Grand Prix marked Ferrari’s impressive triumph. But in terms of the title, the driver who truly won is Max Verstappen. McLaren had carefully crafted an efficient strategy to gain position over Red Bull by pitting both drivers a few laps later than their competitors. Unfortunately for them, they had not accounted for the most formidable opponent: Max Verstappen’s right foot. The Dutchman fiercely defended third place from the attacks of a faster MCL38, demonstrating once again that he can make a difference in his car. The battle with Lando Norris culminated in a delicate overtaking maneuver at turn 17, where Verstappen was forced wide after a fierce braking move from his rival, which the race direction later decided to penalize with a five-second time penalty. As a result, despite finishing behind the line, Max Verstappen inherited the third step of the podium.

The Dutchman, by keeping Lando Norris at bay in the final stages of the race, gained another three points on his rival (for a total of five over the entire weekend) and now has a 57-point lead in the championship. Most importantly, there is now one less weekend until the end, giving the world champion more breathing room in the title fight.

Max Verstappen’s comments at the end of the United States Grand Prix.
The #1 driver, while pleased with the duel won against Lando Norris, expected a better result than the third place he achieved after his rival’s penalty: “I expected us to be more competitive, but I don’t know why it was tougher than expected. We struggled to find the balance and I couldn’t attack in the corners; it’s something we need to understand.” – the Dutchman pointed out.

Regarding the duel with Lando Norris, with the Brit penalized for the irregular overtaking at turn 15 (which was done off the track), Max Verstappen was clear: “In those corners, similar incidents have happened in the past, so it’s pretty clear what can or cannot be done. You can’t go off the track: it’s painful, and I understand that, but it was a great battle.” – the Red Bull driver concluded.