Why didn’t McLaren tell Norris to give his position back to Verstappen?

McLaren believed that Max Verstappen, not Lando Norris, would be investigated due to the controversial battle in the 12th corner.

After the incident in Austin that resulted in a penalty for the British driver, McLaren explained why they didn’t ask Norris to allow Verstappen to pass. In the closing stages of the United States Grand Prix, Norris was chasing Verstappen for third place and attempted an outside move on the back straight four laps from the finish.

Verstappen was inside in the 12th corner and appeared to be ahead at the apex. However, he went off track on the exit, dragging Norris off as well and into the escape area. When both returned to the track, Norris had gained the lead.

Norris maintained his position until the finish, but the stewards penalized him with a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, dropping him to fourth place behind his championship rival.

Although penalties are typically 10 seconds, the stewards gave Norris a lighter penalty, reasoning that he had no choice but to go off track due to Verstappen’s line.

Norris and McLaren briefly discussed whether to give the position back, considering that the British driver had a faster car and tire life advantage, which could have led to further attempts to overtake the Dutchman. However, McLaren was so confident in Norris’s innocence that they saw no reason to let Verstappen pass.

McLaren team principal Stella stated, “There was a complete consensus among everyone commenting on this situation: there was no need for an investigation. And if there was, in our opinion, it should have been for Max pushing Lando off the track.”

“When we saw that the incident was under investigation, we thought this would be the case. Therefore, we saw no reason to give the position back.”

Verstappen did not receive any penalty for pushing Norris off the track because he was considered to be ahead at the apex. However, according to Stella, the fact that the Red Bull driver could not keep his car on the track should have equalized the situation for both drivers.

Stella said, “I don’t think being ahead at the apex is important in terms of interpreting the overtaking maneuver.”

“I think the defending car is going straight at the apex – we checked the video many times – it is just going straight, going off track as much as Lando does, and it does not give Lando a chance to complete the maneuver.”

“Both cars are going off track, so if there is an advantage gained, I believe both cars gain that advantage. So for us, this maneuver was at least neutral. However, when I saw the ‘under investigation’ notice, I was quite sure that the reason was Max pushing Lando off the track.”

“In fact, I immediately instructed Oscar to ensure that Max stayed within five seconds, because there could be a position at stake. So the interpretation of this situation is completely opposed between McLaren and the stewards.”