Christian Horner expressed his confusion over McLaren’s decision not to instruct Lando Norris to give back his position to Max Verstappen after overtaking him off the track during the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Horner saw it as a clear-cut situation, where Norris should have ceded the place immediately after passing Verstappen in an off-track maneuver. He believed that if Norris had done so, he would likely have been able to overtake Verstappen again in the final laps of the race.
The rivalry between Norris and Verstappen intensified at the Circuit of the Americas as the two battled on multiple occasions. Their first confrontation came on the opening lap when both drivers went off track while Norris, the pole-sitter, defended his position from Verstappen. This opened the door for Charles Leclerc to briefly take the lead. Later in the race, Norris attempted to pass Verstappen for third place at Turn 12, but Verstappen defended aggressively, pushing both drivers off the track.
Despite Norris rejoining the track ahead of Verstappen, McLaren argued that Norris was justified in staying ahead. However, the race stewards sided with Verstappen, deeming that Norris should have given the position back. As a result, Norris received a five-second time penalty, dropping him behind Verstappen in the final standings, despite finishing 4.1 seconds ahead on track. Horner described the penalty as a “slam dunk” due to the clear nature of the infraction.
Horner defended Verstappen’s actions on the first lap, where he forced Norris off the track, citing the “let them race” philosophy that has been in place for first-lap incidents. He explained that this philosophy has been part of Formula 1 for several years, especially in opening lap battles, and Verstappen’s move was a classic example of hard racing that is permitted under these guidelines. Nonetheless, Horner acknowledged that such rulings often lead to debates about the stewards’ consistency.
Reflecting on McLaren’s decision-making, Horner pointed out that if Norris had relinquished the position immediately, he likely would have had the pace to retake Verstappen before the end of the race. He noted that McLaren had a car and tire advantage at that point in the race, and the confusion over giving the position back likely cost Norris a better result. Ultimately, Verstappen’s win in the sprint race and third-place finish in the Grand Prix helped him extend his lead over Norris in the Drivers’ standings.
