VERSTAPPEN: “MCLAREN HAS BEEN COMPLAINING A LOT RECENTLY”
Max Verstappen evaluated his battle with Lando Norris at the U.S. Grand Prix.
Verstappen expressed no sympathy for McLaren, which claimed he pushed Norris off the track at Turn 12 in Austin, stating that his rival has been “complaining a lot recently.” During the latter part of the 56-lap race at COTA, Norris chased Verstappen for third place, attempting to overtake him on the outside of Turn 12.
Verstappen defended on the inside and appeared ahead at the apex, then widened his line and went off the track with all four tires, pushing Norris off as well. Although Norris managed to stay ahead, both drivers and their teams had differing views on who should yield. Red Bull argued that Norris should not have been allowed to pass off the track.
The British driver chose to maintain his position rather than let Verstappen through, which led to the stewards issuing him a five-second penalty, causing him to drop to fourth place behind Verstappen in the final results.
When asked by Motorsport.com whether he felt sympathy for McLaren, Verstappen replied, “No, I don’t have sympathy. I think they’ve been complaining a lot lately.”“The rules are very clear: you cannot overtake outside the white line. In the past, I also received a penalty for this; I think it was in 2017 or whenever, and I lost my podium that way.”
“That’s why I stayed calm and tried my best to bring the car to the finish. It wasn’t easy due to the tires and the situation I was in. But overall, I really enjoyed the battle we had.”
Verstappen was referring to McLaren’s objection to Red Bull’s device that alters the front wing height, which dominated the news during the weekend.
A similar incident occurred earlier, where Norris, starting from pole, closed off the inside line at Turn 1 but still left the door slightly open for the Dutchman to pass. In the end, both drivers went off the track, giving Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc a golden opportunity to win the race at COTA.
Regarding his move at the start, Verstappen said, “There was a gap on the inside, and I took it.”
“This corner is very wide, so it gives you a lot of opportunities to either take a wide line or try to go really tight.”
“I chose that option, and this time I ended up second with Charles ahead. I think that worked out pretty well for me because Charles was already faster and opened up the gap.”
The Dutch driver added, “Today wasn’t our best race compared to yesterday. I was struggling with balance and grip. I really couldn’t brake or turn the car, so I quickly realized that winning the race wasn’t possible, so I just tried to focus on my own race.”
