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Penalty for Norris against Verstappen: FIA's ruling

Motorsport7 > Penalty for Norris against Verstappen: FIA's ruling

The recent USA Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas highlighted two key moments: Ferrari's remarkable double win and the ongoing tension between championship leader Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.

Verstappen managed to extend his lead in the standings, assisted by a controversial FIA penalty issued shortly before the race ended in Austin, Texas.

Norris, fighting for position, succeeded in overtaking Verstappen but went off the track during the maneuver. This breach resulted in a five-second penalty, relegating him from third to fourth place behind Verstappen.

The race stewards—Garry Connelly (Australia), Derek Warwick (UK), Dennis Dean (USA), and Loic Bacquelaine (Belgium)—justified their decision by stating that Norris (car number 4) did not maintain equal position with Verstappen (car number 1) at the apex of the corner. According to behavior regulations, this meant Norris forfeited his right to the corner.

The stewards noted that Norris left the track on the right side and re-entered ahead of Verstappen, thus gaining an unauthorized advantage through track limits violation. While the guidelines state a ten-second penalty for such infractions, they opted for a lesser penalty due to the circumstances of the overtaking attempt.

Race Results - USA GP, Circuit of the Americas

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 1:35:09.639 2. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - +8.562 sec 3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - +19.412 sec 4. Lando Norris (McLaren) - +20.354 sec 5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - +21.921 sec 6. George Russell (Mercedes) - +56.295 sec 7. Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) - +59.072 sec 8. Nico Hülkenberg (Haas) - +1:02.957 min 9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - +1:10.563 10. Franco Colapinto (Williams) - +1:11.979