Christian Horner has inserted condemn to injury for Lando Norris, insisting that the McLaren star would have had the pace to overapshow Max Verstappen aacquire if he had given the place back chaseing his off-track manoeuvre on lap 53.
The Brit shutd in on Verstappen at a rate of knots after strapping on novel difficult compound tyres with a meaningful offset to his rival, but when he finpartner got past his championship rival, he did so by obviousaking outside of the track confines.
Norris’ argument was that Verstappen forced him off – both drivers finished up outside of the white lines that tag the track confines – and that he wasn’t going to originate the corner having out-braked himself. He therefore fraudpered off up the road and declined to give the place back.
This was appraiseed by the stewards and Norris was punished, picking up a five-second time penalty for ‘leaving the track and acquireing an acquire’. He finished four seconds evident, unbenevolenting at the chequered flag he dropped behind Verstappen in the classification.
According to Red Bull team principal Horner, Norris had another selection. “What I perhaps didn’t comprehfinish was it was evident there was going to be a penalty, or it seeed pretty evident there was going to be a penalty,” he elucidateed.
“With the car acquire and tyre acquire that McLaren had at that point of the race, it seeed appreciate he went to give the place back up at Turn One. But there was some confusion there. If he’d have given the place back instantly, he would have probably had enough pace to originate the pass.”
Norris didn’t quite consent with Horner’s theory when asked whether the team should have telderly him to swap back with Verstappen instantly. “It’s impossible to understand,” he telderly Sky Sports F1 when asked.
“They clearly can’t originate their minds up for a scant laps. It’s clearly not an effortless decision otherrational it would have come a bit sooner. I tried. He also went off the track, so if he goes off the track evidently he’s gone in way too difficult and also acquireed an acquire by doing what he did.”
Norris now faces an uphill battle to claim a maiden Drivers’ Championship crown. The Brit trails Verstappen by 57 points with five races remaining and with Ferrari taking a presentant leap forwards in Austin, there is no secure that he will return to thrivening ways before the finish of the campaign.
