The United States Grand Prix turned out to be one of the most controversial races of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
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| Ted Kravits |
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris had another fantastic battle that ended with the McLaren driver being penalised for overtaking his Red Bull rival off the track at turn 12.
Amazingly, the pair were fighting for the final position on the podium despite starting alongside each other on the front row.
That’s because Ferrari’s sacrifice in qualifying paid off in the race, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz securing a one-two finish that makes the Constructors’ Championship increasingly interesting.
Norris clashed with Verstappen twice in the race, first nearly coming together going into the tight left-hand hairpin on the opening lap.
However, Verstappen couldn’t complete the move on the track, forcing Norris off the track as well and demoting the Brit to fourth.
The stewards took no action on that occasion, although Norris believed Verstappen raced too hard at that point in the race.
Speaking on Ted’s Notebook in the Austin paddock, Ted Kravitz shared what he believes Norris will be most annoyed about after the race.
What Lando Norris will be ‘most annoyed’ about after United States Grand Prix penalty
Reflecting on the decision from the FIA to award Norris a five-second penalty, Kravitz said: “These rules are agreed to by the teams and the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association.
“They’ve made these rules. And all right, you can argue all day long about whether you only have to cough these days to get a five-second penalty from the stewards.
“All the stewards are doing are acting and enacting and enforcing the rules that the teams have all agreed to and the drivers have signed up to.
“If a driver literally goes off track and gains a position, that’s breaking a rule. If you break a rule, it’s a penalty, what’s the penalty? It’s five seconds, so I think that’s what Lando’s most annoyed about is that he had the chance.
“And the way Lando said on the radio, ‘Well, you should have told me if you weren’t minded’, and instead McLaren almost felt like they were saying, ‘We’re with you, you were ahead’, rather than taking the lead, taking the initiative and saying, ‘Well Lando, we do think it was a bit of cheeky driving from Max, but we’re not going to come out of this well, so just give the place back immediately and see if you can get him on the next lap.’”
Can Lando Norris still win the 2024 F1 Drivers’ Championship?
The gap between Norris and Verstappen going into the race weekend in the driver’s standings was 52 points, meaning even if Norris won every Grand Prix and Sprint Race, he would still need some outside assistance to win the championship.
Norris was told Ferrari were his best bet in that situation although teammate Oscar Piastri would have likely agreed to any team instructions to help the Brit secure a first F1 title.
However, losing two points to Verstappen in the Sprint Race and then being penalised during Sunday’s Grand Prix means the gap has increased to 57 points with five race weekends to go.
That makes life extremely difficult for Norris and he’s now going to realistically need Verstappen to finish outside of the points completely on at least one occasion to stand a realistic chance of beatinga the Dutchman.à
What will also work against Norris is the increased pace of the Ferraris who will now have one eye on the Constructors’ Championship, something Red Bull will likely have to concede is impossible to win with Sergio Perez still way off the pace.
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