Former F1 World Champion Jenson Button believes the sport requires improved regulations following the controversial penalty drama between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen during the recent United States Grand Prix, which was held last Sunday at the 5.513-kilometre Circuit of The Americas in Austin.
As the race neared its conclusion, Norris and Verstappen were battling for third place when Lando Norris attempted an outside maneuver into turn 12. Verstappen defended the inside line, forcing Norris wide. Both cars ran off-track, but Norris managed to come out ahead and maintained that position until the finish line. However, he was later stripped of his podium spot due to a five-second time penalty imposed by the stewards, citing that he gained an advantage by leaving the track.
Jenson Button, the 2009 World Champion, participated in the Sky Sports F1 post-race analysis, where Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was also a guest. Naturally, the contentious moment on lap 52 was discussed.
Horner explained that the decision aligned with current F1 regulations, which state that Norris completed his overtaking maneuver off the track while Verstappen reached the apex first, thus retaining control of the corner. Jenson Button, however, pushed back against Horner’s interpretation, suggesting that Verstappen had exploited the loopholes within the regulations.
“It’s all about who’s in front at the apex and Max was in front. But is that because he let off the brake at the apex? It seems that your driver is very good at understanding the regulations, and it’s more the problem that we need to have better regulations for what is okay and what isn’t. We saw it with many fights on track at that corner. Guys overtaking, putting it down the inside, just driving the other guy off of the track. We need a rule that you cannot push another completely off the track, and then I think we would have some better racing, so we wouldn’t have to keep talking about this.” – the former Formula 1 world champion explained.
Given the nature of the Circuit of the Americas, similar incidents were prevalent throughout the race, with drivers penalized for forcing others off-track. George Russell and Yuki Tsunoda both received five-second penalties for pushing Valtteri Bottas and Alexander Albon off the circuit, respectively. Yet, Verstappen escaped unscathed for his actions against Lando Norris—both at the end of the race and at the start, where he forced the McLaren driver off the track while gaining an advantage that benefitted Charles Leclerc, the eventual race winner.
This isn’t the first instance of Max Verstappen’s aggressive driving being scrutinized. He often places rivals in a position where they must either concede or risk a collision. From his fierce rivalry with Lewis Hamilton to his clash with Lando Norris in Austria, the Dutchman’s bold maneuvers frequently straddle the line of legality, with stewards ultimately deeming this latest incident permissible, much to Norris’s dismay and McLaren team principal Andrea Stella’s frustration.
The incident has sparked significant debate within the F1 community, with mixed opinions on whether the McLaren driver was treated unfairly or if the rules were enforced correctly. Jenson Button’s assertion that the true issue lies within the FIA’s regulations could be the most pressing topic in the wake of yet another dramatic race.
Leave a Reply