2024 United States Grand Prix | 6 talking points

Norris penalised for passing off track

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella fumed that the stewards had “interfered in an inappropriate manner” in their decision to hand his driver a five-second penalty for Norris’s pass on Verstappen way out wide of Turn 12 with four laps to go. But was this really a “beautiful piece of motor sport”? That’s surely a stretch.

Twice in this tense race Verstappen ran Norris off the track: at Turn 1 after the start, then at Turn 12 four laps from the end as Norris made his move for third place and a crucial points gain to make up for the lost ground in the Sprint, won by his rival on Saturday.

In their battle, Verstappen mostly put up a legitimate and admirable defence as Norris struggled to lay a glove on him despite a six-lap tyre life advantage that had allowed him to close in for the attack. But when it comes to it, every driver on the grid knows what they will get when they go wheel-to-wheel with the three-time champion. He runs rivals off the road when under threat, and that’s what he did here once again.

Norris had no option but to run wide as they negotiated Turn 12, then kept his foot in to sweep back on to the track ahead. Then neither he nor his team chose to give the place back, convinced that because Verstappen had also broken track limits in the heat of that moment the move could be considered legitimate. But that was never going to be the case. Condoning an off-track pass would have set a troubling precedent in what is already a loaded subject clouded with inconsistencies. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, certainly. But Norris should have given the place back straight away.

Then again, he finished 4.1 seconds ahead of his rival. Had he been able to stretch that gap by another second the penalty he received wouldn’t have affected his finishing position. The podium would have been his. But then there was that chop he pulled on Verstappen at Turn 1, when the Englishman swerved left in defence. That looked over the limit, too. Was that worth another penalty? Red Bull certainly thought so.

Are the stewards “biased”?

That was the apparent suggestion in comments made by Mercedes chief Toto Wolff, who has some history with questioning calls from the officials. This time he was angered by a five-second penalty George Russell received for a moment with Valtteri Bottas, which Wolff labelled a “total joke” in a pointed radio message. Then after the race, his cryptic answers in an interview with Sky F1 stoked the conspiracy of “bias” – the combustible word he actually used in another message to Russell on the radio in the race’s aftermath.

Verstappen went unpunished for driving Norris off the track. Where is the consistency? It’s a legitimate question – although Wolff stoking the hornet’s nest at a time when the FIA president is proving sensitive to any FIA criticism might come back to bite him. Wolff did also acknowledge how difficult it is to be an official in Formula 1. But like VAR in football, rules and how they are enforced is a raging topic. Expect more conflation on this one in the days and weeks to come.

Ferrari in with a title shout

It’s a shame the Norris-Verstappen controversy took the limelight away from Ferrari’s performance – not that the team will care too much. The moment between the title protagonists at Turn 1 gifted Charles Leclerc an open goal to take the lead, and from there he never looked back. He dominated from the front to score his third victory of the year, while team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. also put in a storming drive. Also in contention for the win, Sainz undercut Verstappen by stopping earlier, then using the pace of his fresh rubber to claim second place – his best result since winning the Australian Grand Prix many months ago and the end of a seven-race podium drought.

As a happy Leclerc pointed out, the result means Ferrari is right in the thick of the fight for the constructors’ championship. Now just eight points behind Red Bull, the reds are 48 down on leading team McLaren with five races to play. Maranello’s first one-two in the US since 2006 couldn’t have been better timed.

Horror show for Hamilton

In comparison, its 2025 driver was perplexed and perhaps even a little embarrassed. After qualifying poorly, Lewis Hamilton had made a great start and looked up for a characteristic fightback. But then on lap three he slid off into the Turn 19 gravel in a moment that was hard to explain. Had he just dropped it? The suggestion was that Mercedes’ latest upgrades have unsettled the W15 and were at the root of Hamilton’s off. Russell too had a difficult weekend, although at least he was able to make up for starting from the pitlane after crashing in qualifying to finish a fine sixth.

Lawson makes his point(s)

Beyond the top, six Sergio Pérez finished a lacklustre seventh, with Nico Hülkenberg adding to the Haas tally in eighth, and impressive Williams rookie Franco Colapinto grabbed another point in tenth. But in terms of wider significance, Liam Lawson’s score in ninth, on his return to the RB team following his replacement of Daniel Ricciardo, was most notable.

The Kiwi slotting back in to F1 so easily, and even shrugging off a Sprint race spat with Fernando Alonso that trickled into qualifying, will have pleased Red Bull. Pérez is clearly under pressure to keep his drive in the A-team for 2025. Meanwhile, Honda is said to be hiking up an opportunity for Yuki Tsunoda to be given a test, though the Japanese has acknowledged he needs to be “perfect” to be considered a serious bet for promotion – and in Austin he spun, finished 14^th and found himself outshone by Lawson. Not what he needed, to put it mildly.

All eyes on Mexico

The good news is there will be little time for Norris, McLaren, Wolff, Hamilton, Tsunoda and anyone else feeling aggrieved after Austin to stew. F1 heads straight for the border with the Mexican Grand Prix this coming weekend. Norris is now 57 points in arrears of Verstappen with a total of 146 left to play for across the rest of the season. The odds of him stealing the world title have lengthened, and they were already long. But in a season of such drama, expect another high-altitude twist on Sunday.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.